Shock Wave
by SilverSerpentDragon
Summary: The Dragoons, Knights of the Dragons are awakening. Ranma gets a new power up! And the former dragoons seem to be favoring their successors by giving them new weapons. Chap. 8 teaser up!Crossover with Pretear and now Legend of Dragoon as well. Read
1. Opening Theme and Prologue

SSD: This is the opening theme of "Shock Wave" enjoy.

Disclaimer: SilverSerpentDragon does not own Ranma ½ or Pretear.

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Opening Theme: eX Dream

(We see Ranma flying out of the Tendo Dojo courtesy of Akane and landing in a lake)

izure koware yuku kono sekai ni wa

yume ya kibou to ka dou demo ii

(An astral form of Ranko is standing with her back to Ranma as he walks with Akane and Nabiki to school)

kokoro no naka de nemuru kimi wa mezameru koto nai kedo

kaerarenu mirai o sono te de kanjite

(Akane is in her Red-Eye Dragoon form bashing a Virage with her War Hammer)

Burning for your life

itsuka moetsukiru kono inochi o sasagete mo

(for the perfect dream)

(Ranko in her Water Pretear form teams up with Himeno in her Ice Pretear form. Together they tag team a demon larva)

Drowning in my dream

tatoe oborete mo yume wa yume de shika nai

kimi wa star light

(An astral form of Ranma is being torn to pieces as he screams in pain. There is a flash of white light and a teenage boy with gray hair replaces him. He has the same blue-gray eyes as Ranma))

hikari afureteku sono sekai ni wa

kimi no tamashii ga michite yuku

mushou no ai o negau tenshi wa mezameru to sugu ni

owari yuku mirai o kono te de uketomete

(Sasame can be seen reflecting on his life before Takako became Fenril and comparing her to Ranko)

Drowning for my life

itsuka tsukihateru kono inochi wa modoranai

(for the eX dream)

(Soun is flipping through various pictures Nabiki had taken of Ranma and Akane together at the failed wedding.)

Drowning in your dream

tatoe oborete mo yume no tsuzuki wa doko e

boku wa moon light

(Hayate is attempting to take on a Virage, Himeno is behind him with a worried look on her face. Sasame arrives wearing strange armor and has seven dragon like wings extending from the back.)

Drowning for your life

yagate otozureru sono kibou ni kakete demo

(for the perfect dream)

(Ryouga is in his Dragoon form casting Grand Stream)

Drowning in my dream

tatoe taorete mo nigedashitari wa shinai

(Ranko and Sasame are sitting next to each other and fidgeting nervously. In Sasame's hand, away from Ranko, is a bouquet of white roses)

Drowning for my life

kesshite mayowanai kono kimochi wa tomaranai

(for the eX dream)

(Ranko and Himeno are seen on opposite sides of the title "Shock Wave" in Kanji. Sasame, Ranma, and Mawata stand behind the Kanji. Sasame and Ranma are in their Leafe Knight uniforms, Mawata is in her Jade Dragoon armor. Akane, Nabiki, Ukyo, Mousse, Ryouga, and Saito stand on Ranko's right in various poses while wearing their Dragoon armor. The other Leafe Knights stand on Himeno's right in their uniforms. Ranko is in her White Silver Advanced Dragoon Form, Himeno is in the White Pretear outfit. Fade out)

Drowning in your dream

tomo ni tsukisusumu ashita e no michi to naru

bokura wa star light

**Translation:**

Of this world, the end is coming

Dreams and hopes do not matter

Inside your heart, you are sleeping

but you will not wake up

Feel the hand of a future that cannot be changed

Burning for your life

This life will burn out someday, even if you try to cling to it

(for the perfect dream)

Drowning in my dream

Even if it's remembered, a dream is only a dream

You are star light

In that world, overflowing with shines

Your spirit will die out

Soon after the delivery of love by a wishing angel,

With its hand, stopping the end of the future

Drowning for my life

Someday it will hit, this life cannot go back

(for the eX dream)

Drowning in your dream

Even if it's remembered, where will the dream continue?

I am moon light

Drowning for your life

A surprise is on the way, even if hope is held on to

(for the perfect dream)

Drowning in my dream

Even if destruction occurs, I will not run away

Drowning for my life

Never undecided, this feeling will not stop

(for the eX dream)

Drowning in your dream

A rushing companion, this will be the road of tomorrow

I am star light

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Prologue

"Leafe, it is the source of all life. Leafe, it is the power of all living things, all men all women. When the Leafe of the Pretear and the Leafe of a Knight merge and become one, a new power is born."—quote from episode 1: Winds of destiny.

"Ki is the power of the spirit. It is the life source of everything. Humans, animals, grass, even stone and metal contain Ki. Martial Artists are individuals with the ability to tap into their Ki to make themselves stronger, faster, and more durable. There are those among them who can manipulate their Ki in such ways as to use it as an attack. These Martial Artists are the Legends."—excerpt from "The Chronicles of Martial Arts and Ki" 1:5.

"There will be one born adept at using both Leafe and Ki. This one is not just one, however, a second form hides beneath the other. A brother and a sister, both destined to be a Knight and Pretear, shall be one. Then, the lord of darkness will awaken and herald the return of the Virage. The Knights of Dragons will come to power and one with two souls shall split to accept destiny. Dragons once hidden to the world of old shall awaken and choose their knights. History shall repeat and Darkness and Fire shall share their fate. Divine and Light will join forces and unite their holy powers."—Prophecy of Leafean

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SSD: Yes, I know I have changed this AGAIN. But I thought that the previous song didn't fit well enough with how the story is going now. I thought that it was just…kiddy. This is—to those who may recognize it—actually the opening theme to X. Awesome series. I suggest to those of you who have yet to see it, go out and get it. And be prepared to have a few tissues on hand, it's quite the tragic end for the hero. Shit, I almost gave it away! Anyway, all you should know is that it is a tragic series/drama. Umm, I better go. I have school tomorrow. Ciao!

Revised for what will hopefully be the last time. 1-24-06


	2. UFP: Unidentified Flying Pretear

SSD: Konnichiwa, minna-san! SilverSerpentDragon is here with the long awaited Ranma/Pretear crossover!

Ranma-chan: About time you started one of your ideas. And I have to thank you for getting me away from those psychos in Nerima.

Sasame: Indeed, those people—if they can be called such—were a bad influence on you.

Ranma-chan: Thank you for your concern Sasame-kun.

SSD: Hey, lovebirds, take your mushy stuff elsewhere! Besides, I haven't even gotten to that part of the story yet. Hell, you two don't even admit your feelings until the very last chapters.

Ranma-chan & Sasame: Gomen.

SSD: Well, enough of this let's—

Akane: Ranma no hentai! How dare you leave me for that other pervert! You're MY fiancé!

SSD: Security! Get this violent bitch out of here! How the hell did she bypass my guards? THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO PREVENT HAPPENINGS LIKE THIS!

Ryouga: Is this the Tendo—RANMA! PREPARE TO DIE! (leaps to attack Ranma-chan)

SSD: DAMMIT! SECURITY!

(Security consists of Kouga, Subaru, Kamui, and Dark)

SSD: Get these two the hell out of my studio before they trash the place! (points at Akane and Ryouga who are trying to bash Ranma)

Ranma-chan (has Préted with Sasame): Hurry it up, guys! I don't know how much more Sasame-kun can take this beating!

Kouga: Alright, pig-boy, time for a one way trip. (grabs Ryouga's right arm, Kamui takes the left. They haul him to one of the FORBIDDEN doors that contains a black hole. They throw P-chan in)

Kouga & Kamui: Sayonara!

Dark: C'mon, macho-girl, time for you to leave, SSD has a story to start. (grabs Akane and tosses her to Kouga)

Kouga: (catches Akane and throws her into the vortex also)

Dark: SSD, I better get a bonus for having to touch that thing.

Kouga: I expect a double bonus considering I had to touch pig-boy also.

Kamui: I also anticipate a bonus.

SSD: You guys are the SECURITY CREW, it's your job to take out that kind of trash.

Subaru: Glad I didn't have to get involved.

SSD: You're fired! I pay you good money and you do nothing! You're fired!

Donald Trump: That's my line! I'll sue you!

SSD: Subaru, if you wish to get your next paycheck, you better do your job.

Subaru: Damn. (chucks Trump into the void as well) Happy?

SSD: Very, now this has continued long enough. Ranma, Sasame, cue the disclaimer.

Ranma-chan & Sasame: Right!

Disclaimer: SilverSerpentDragon does not own Ranma ½ or Pretear.

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Chapter 1: UFP (Unidentified Flying Pretear)

Soaked and weary, a red haired buxom girl entered the Tendo Dojo complex. Upon seeing the living area empty and smelling a foul scent wafting from the kitchen, Ranma-chan felt very uneasy. Just as she was about to exit, her violent maniac bitch of a fiancé—I mean, Akane—came out of the kitchen holding a plate of…something. Dread filled the redheaded martial artist as whatever it was that was on the plate squirmed and she caught the malicious glint in Akane's eyes.

"Ranma, you're just in time for lunch! I worked very hard on this just for you," The bitch leveled a glare at Ranma-chan in a clear "You better eat it and like it, or else."

Ranma-chan gulped, she really did not want to eat the monstrosity that Akane cooked up. Hesitantly, the God Slayer took the chopsticks offered to her by her so called "fiancé" and poked the writhing mass. A glare from Akane silenced her protests. In the background, Ranma-chan could hear muttered prayers from the fathers. This did little to assure her. Slowly, the pigtailed girl took a piece of the nuclear waste with her chopsticks and took a bite. She instantly locked up as the toxic material coursed through her her digestive track.

Akane grew infuriated as she watched her fiancé turn white, then green, then purple, and finally back to green. "RANMA NO BAKA! How dare you insult my cooking! This is the last time!"

The violent tomboy whipped out a mallet that was larger than her—no, it was a war hammer! In a vicious arc, the dreaded weapon traveled to strike to immobilized Slayer of Sa Fulang.

"KAWAIIKUNE!" Ranma-chan yelled as she sailed across the skyline. She would stay in the air for another hour before the momentum of Akane's hit wore off.

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Ranma-chan crossed her arms over her large chest. "Damn that uncute tomboy! Why is it that I'm always the one to blame when it's always her that's causin' all the problems? Why can't ever meet someone who will treat me as a person and not an object or something to be killed! Why can't I have a girlfriend who won't hit me for the sake of hitting me or any 'insults'? If I can't manage that, why not a boyfriend who is sane and not berserker; someone who would listen to me? Is that so much to ask for!"

The pigtailed martial artist noticed that she was starting to descend finally. She took a quick survey of the area as she also noticed that her descent was going to be of a sharper angle than her ascension. It looked like she was going to land in the middle of a fight between some darkly dressed lady and some weird form of youma and another group of people in weird clothes. Ranma-chan also noted that at her current rate of freefall, the guy with silver hair dressed in purple in white was going to be her landing pad.

"Look out!" She cried when she was within hearing range.

The combating parties looked up at the warning. The silver haired man's eyes widened in surprise before he was struck by a redheaded missile.

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Sasame gazed sadly at Takako, the woman he had loved for the past sixteen years. It hurt him to know that such a sweet girl like her could turn into this cold hearted bitch. No matter how hard he tried, now that he had seen her again, he just could not call up the devoted feelings of love he held onto for sixteen years.

"Look out!"

Sasame looked up. His violet eyes widened in surprise. A girl with flaming red hair was coming straight at him from the sky! The girl hit him with surprising velocity and knocked the air out of his lungs. The silver-haired Knight of Sound fell back from the sudden weight.

Regaining his bearings, Sasame looked up at the disoriented girl sitting on top of him. Stormy blue eyes met violet as the two stared at each other.

"Ummm, I'm Saotome Ran…ko, sorry about this."

Takako frowned at the display. However, she shrugged off the slight pang of jealousy that resonated within her and fired a bolt of black energy at the pair. Sasame saw the incoming blast and rolled out of the way with Ranko pressed close to him. He stood up with the red haired girl in his arms still.

"Hey! I could of dodged that! Ya don't have ta protect me!" Ranko cried indignantly as she wriggled out of Sasame's grasp.

"I suggest you stay out of this. We don't want any civilians harmed," Sasame cautioned.

Takako ordered her demon larva to attack the Knights and Himeno. One of the creatures tentacles launched across the space to where Sasame and Ranko were arguing. The Knight of Sound heard the distinct whistling of an incoming object. He grabbed Ranko's hand in an attempt to pull her out of the way. Instead, he felt the familiar feeling of Pretting fill him. He looked at Ranko in shock as the familiar effects of a Pret took place. When the light show was over, in place of Sasame and Ranko was Ranko dressed in the outfit of the Pretear of Sound.

"What the hell! How can there be two Pretears!" Takako screamed in shock.

Ranko on the other hand flushed crimson in embarrassment. "If Ryouga or Akane saw me like this, I would never live it down. What the hell happened?"

"It appears that you are a Pretear as well. In your current state, you are the Pretear of Sound which is my element," Sasame's voice echoed in her mind.

"Wait a minute, aren't you that guy from before? Where are ya?"

"Currently, I am inside your body. I am the Leafe Knight of Sound, Sasame. When a Leafe Knight and a girl with the potential to be a Pretear merge, the girl becomes the Pretear of whatever element the Knight she merged with possesses. You need to destroy that demon larva and then help the others fight…Takako. She is the one in black."

"From the tone in your voice, you like her don't you?"

"Yes, long ago I loved her. But this isn't the same Takako I fell in love with. She has been…corrupted…too much. All we can do is defeat her and save this world."

"I know… how you feel…somewhat. Now, what do ya say we kick this demon's ass?"

"Alright. Concentrate your Leafe to form the Bow of Sound."

Ranko nodded in understanding. "Just like forming a ki blast, only shaping it into a physical object, right?"

From within Ranko's consciousness, Sasame blinked. "I suppose."

Ranko grinned when a solid white bow formed in her hands. She concentrated her energy, Sasame's energy, on the strange demon larva in front of her. "SONIC ARROW!" A streak of purple-ish white energy left the bow once the redheaded Pretear "launched" the "arrow" of sound.

The demon larva shrieked in pain before dissolving. Takako growled in frustration and left in a vortex of darkness, cursing the newly found Pretear.

"That…was…so…COOL! Oh man, think about how many techniques I can revise with this new knowledge. Pops won't stand a chance in our next sparring session!" Ranko squealed in delight even as Sasame left her body looking a little worn out.

Kei approached the jubilant girl. "Excuse me, miss, we would like to thank you for your help, but who are you?"

Ranko stopped dancing around. "I'm Saotome Ranko of the Musabetsu Kakuto Saotome Ryu. And you guys are welcome, though I don't know how I did it." The red haired martial artist scratched the back of her neck nervously. "Ummm and you are?"

"I am Hikari Kei." Kei was of average height with wavy blond hair. He had dark golden eyes and a slightly tanned complexion. Ranko noted that he didn't have a "fighter's stance." The martial artist also saw that he had an ornate silver ring on his right middle finger.

"Bouchoudo Sasame." Ranko nodded as she remembered the guy she crash landed on. He wore a silver earring on his left ear that made him more attractive. Ranko mentally smacked herself.

"Kazeyotaka Hayate." Hayate had long waist length hair that was held in a small ponytail at the bottom with a silver clasp.

"Bakuchiku Go." Ranko had to stop herself from cracking up now that she got a good look at him. Go's hair and eyebrows reminded her of that one anime Daisuke and Hiroshi made her—at the time him—watch. Funny, the main character's name was Goku and Go looks like him. He had cinnamon colored eyes and a streak of red ran through his brown hair. He also had a piece of silver jewelry in the form of a choker.

"Hyouketsu Mannen." Mannen had to twelve at the least. He was about two thirds of Go's height and had light blue eyes with whitish-blue hair. He wore a silver bracer on his right forearm.

"Mizuno Hajime, Ranko-san." Hajime was a few years younger than Mannen. The boy had reddish-orange hair in a crew cut with two long tendrils framing a rounded face. His eyes were an entrancing oceanic blue. The tendril of hair on the right side had a silver clasp near the bottom.

"Chichuukouki Shintaku, Ranko-san." Shintaku was the smallest of the knights and in his uniform looked like one of those mushrooms from that "Mario" game. He had goldenrod colored hair and soulful innocent green eyes. Ranko guessed that the little boy was about three. He also had a piece of silver jewelry, a necklace with a disk pendant that had an amber stone set into it.

"We just call him Shin though," Go stated.

"I'm Awayuki Himeno, it's nice to meet you. I'm also a Pretear, but—"

"Then why weren't you fighting?" Ranko questioned.

"I-I'm afraid that I'll…become like Takako. She used to be a Pretear," The other Pretear stated quietly. Her reddish-pink hair was cut short and flared out giving it a slightly wind swept look. Her eyes were a warm reddish brown and shown with a slightly child-like quality.

"Wha? You mean we can have our aura tarnished like that? That chick had a darker aura than my pops and I'd commit seppuku before I fall into that much of a dishonorable ba-bitch!" The neo-pretear hotly vowed. "Anyway, I'm sure you don't have to worry about falling into that kind of darkness. Your aura is a raging bonfire of purity."

Himeno blushed slightly and smiled in gratitude. "Thank you."

"Now, can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Ranko asked sheepishly.

The older Leafe Knights and Himeno face-faulted.

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SSD: That is all for the first chapter of "Shock Wave!" I hope you guys enjoyed it.

Sasame: You made me seem like a chivalric wimp.

Ranma-chan (Ranko): And what is up with making me the damsel in distress! I am not a weak little girl!

SSD: I know that. But you are in unfamiliar territory so it is only logical that you act a bit clueless. Anyway, that's all for this chapter. Now, you see that little indigo bar that says "review" and the button on the right that says "go"? Okay, now press it and send me your thoughts on this story. Arigatougozaimasu! Also, no where in the Anime or Manga does it say the Knights' last names. I did some searching and found some words to make up their last names that will fit the characters' personality. Please review guys?


	3. Understanding

SSD: Konnichiwa, minna-san! Thank you all so much for the reviews. I think this was the fastest time that I ever got so many reviews.

Sasame: The credits will be at the bottom. If you sent a review with questions, the answers will be there.

Ranma: Hey, guys! I finally got back to my guy form!

Sasame: (thinks) Damn, I wanted to cuddle Ranko some more.

Nabiki: YAY! My squeeze toy isn't lost anymore! (glomps Ranma)

Ranma: ACK! Nabiki…air…(starts to turn blue)

Nabiki: (sees a blue faced Ranma) Oops. (loosens her grip, but is still clinging to him)

Shampoo: What mercenary girl do with airen! (raises bonbori threateningly)

Ukyo: (brandishes her BAS—big ass spatula) Ranchan is mine, sugar!

SSD: Not again!

Ranma: (splashes himself with water)

Ranko: Save me from the psychos, Sasame!

Sasame: (grabs Ranko and runs to a safe place)

Fiancé Brigade: Get back here with my fiancé! (chase after)

SSD: Uh-huh I am not gonna risk you guys—er, girls—from coming back here and destroying my studio. Nabiki, you can stay. SECURITY!

Kamui: What now?

SSD: Get rid of Spatula Girl and the Amazon Slut.

Dark: (sidles up to Shampoo) Wanna go on a date Friday?

Shampoo: Stupid purple boy no have chance in hell.

Dark: (shrugs) That's a shame. (grabs Shampoo and throws her into the VORTEX of DOOM)

Subaru: (says nothing, just grabs Ukyo and throws her in also)

SSD: You guys have been slacking off, haven't you?

Security: (shift nervously)

SSD: (takes a delicate sniff) What the? (steps closer and sniffs) Smoke? (glares) Have you guys been playing poker again?

Security: I have a previous engagement—Ayame's waiting for me—Hokuto's memorial is coming up, can't be late—I have some rare treasure to steal (split off in four different directions)

SSD: DARK! KAMUI! SUBARU! KOUGA! GET YOUR ASSES BACK HERE!

Nabiki: I guess it's up to me to do the disclaimer. SSD, you owe me 10000 yen

Disclaimer: SilverSerpentDragon does not own Pretear or Ranma ½.

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_"Now, can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Ranko asked sheepishly._

_The older Leafe Knights and Himeno face faulted._

Chapter 2: Understanding

The Leafe Knights and Himeno quickly righted themselves in order to properly answer Ranko's question.

"A Pretear is a Princess of Life. Her counterpart, when one is created, is the Princess—or Prince—of Disaster. The P.o.D seeks to destroy the world by sucking all the Leafe out of it. We as the Leafe Knights are the guardians of that energy, one for every element," Kei explained.

"Oh, so that Tataco person was a Princess of Disaster, right?" Ranko cocked her head to the side.

"Her name is Takako, but yeah, that's the gist of it," Go answered.

"Hey, what were talking about back then? You said something about revising techniques?" Manned questioned curiously.

"I must say that your comments intrigued me as well," Sasame stated softly.

"Oh, that! Well, I am a martial artist, one of the best in the world. My brother's better than me though and I have a long way to go before I catch up."

"Brother?" The Pretear crew chorused.

Ranko beamed. "Yeah, my brother's Saotome Ranma. He defeated Saffron at Phoenix Mountain and blew up the top half of the mountain in the process!"

Several jaws dropped. Hayate snorted in disbelief. "And how'd he manage that? Use a few pounds of dynamite?"

Ranko frowned. "No, he used his life energy, ki, to battle Saffron, the so called Phoenix God."

"Saffron! Oh shit, now I remember why that name is so familiar!" Go exclaimed. Everyone turned to look at him. "A few incarnations ago I saved this one kid from a demon larva attack. He was badly hurt though so I took him to a place where one of Fire's incarnations lived. The Phoenix people have the ability to manipulate fire to some extent. I took the kid there and healed him with the help of the Phoenix healer. The kid healed alright, but there was a side effect to the healing. He could control fire almost as well as I can and he turned into a Phoenix. With his superiority in Flame Manipulation, the Phoenix people adopted him as their king and his life force became the stabilizing factor in their survival. The kid's name was Saffron."

Ranko blinked, "Woah, Saffron actually used to be one of the 'landlings' he despised so much? BWAHAHAHA!" The martial artist collapsed to the ground laughing. "Wait 'til the others hear about this! BWAHAHAHAHA!"

The group watched the new Pretear with a form of detached freaking out.

"I don't think it's that funny," Himeno stated.

Ranko sobered up immediately. "You don't understand. My entire family was witness to Saffron's defeat and were almost killed for just being 'landlings.' Knowing that even though it was a very traumatizing time, the irony of it is just too funny."

"Oh," was all Himeno could respond.

"Anyway, I have to get going or else the Tendos and Pops will start a search party, not to mention Ranma will be worried. See ya!" Ranko the started to leap up to the rooftops but collapsed. "Gah!" The martial artist glanced at the source of her pain and saw that her right leg was bent at an odd angle. She guessed that her landing caused a small fracture in the bone, the fighting just worsened the crack. "Damn it! My healing technique should've already taken care of this." She looked sheepishly at the others. "Do one of you have a place I could stay at until my leg heals, it should only take a day, two tops?"

"I wouldn't mind you staying over, Ranko-chan," Himeno offered with a smile on her face. "The mansion has too much space and not enough people."

The martial artist shrugged her shoulders. "Fine with me—Yeowch!" Ranko cried in pain as she tried to stand.

Sasame moved to her side and offered his arm for support. "Here."

Pain clouded eyes looked up at him, a light blush spread across Ranko's cheeks. "Uh, thanks." _What am I doing? I'm a GUY! Guys don't like guys and definitely do not blush in reaction!_

"Right! This way!" Himeno smiled cheerfully and led the duo towards the Awayuki mansion.

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"Woah," was all Ranko could say as she took in the vast property. _Nabiki would be green with envy if she knew I was staying in a place like this. It's too large to be called a mansion!_

"Well, welcome to the Awayuki Estate! I know it seems a little extravagant, but it really isn't much."

The Awayuki estate covered approximately 100 acres and had its own stream running through it. There was a forest that peeked out from the right side of the mansion, at least from what Ranko could see. There was also a large variety of flowers from roses to chrysanthemums to regular wild flowers. The front lawn from the main gate to the front door was nothing but a large private park! It even had white stone pathways that wound into a maze-like design, the flower bushes acted as walls to the "maze." All in all, it was a breath taking sight.

"Isn't much? ISN'T MUCH! When Nabiki learns I've stayed in a place like this, she's going to literally go green with envy! And then demand I somehow introduce you two so you can become best of friends and then she'll swindle you out of your money."

Himeno and Sasame stared at her. "You're kidding right?" _What kind of person is this Nabki?_

Ranko shrugged as best she could while gripping the Sound Knight for support. "She's kind of a mercenary, but the money she gets goes to supporting her family because her father hasn't taught any classes since her mother died. I help out some by modeling for pictures that she later sells to magazines like _Sports Illustrated _and _The Daily Martial Artist Journal_ or _The Nerima Times_."

"Wait a minute, you're from Nerima?" Sasame asked in curiousity. "How did you get all the here?"

"My brother's baka fiancé, well one of them anyway, mistook me for my brother's cursed form which looks almost like me except he keeps his/her hair in a pigtail." Ranko silently congratulated herself on that little white lie. After all, during her flight, her pigtail had come undone leaving her hair free. "Anyway, with my brother's curse, she always calls him a 'perverted baka' just because he turns into a girl with cold water. A dose of hot water reverses the curse. It's called a Jusenkyo curse. Jusenkyo means 'Pools of Sorrow'. He landed in 'Spring of Drowned Girl.' It was the last stop on his training trip.

"I went on the same training trip as Ranma, my brother, did, but Pops made too many engagement agreements for his son that he decided that another son would be the remedy to his problem. He left Ranma in town while he took me out to a "hot spring resort" as a "reward" for my hard training. The so called resort was actually the Jusenkyo hot springs. Pops led me—"

"Let me guess, he led you to a 'Spring of Drowned Boy'?" Sasame asked, he was slowly starting to feel anger aimed at Ranko's father.

Ranko nodded. "My curse is the reverse of Ranma's. I was born a girl, but turn into a guy with hot water." _I am SO glad Mom and I fabricated that story so I could get a legal identity in this form. Her 'training' has helped, too. I kinda feel bad for lying to them though. Sasame looks kinda cute when he's angry—ACK! Since when did I think of guys in this way? I'M A GUY aren't I? Damn it, I'm getting confused. Ah, stow it, I'll continue this argument later. _

"Don't worry, Ranko, we'll keep your secret, right, Sasame?" Himeno cheerfully declared.

Sasame nodded in agreement. "Your father better hope he doesn't cross me if we meet." His voice was a deep monotone that sent shivers down Ranko's spine.

_Stop that, you are not a girl, you're a guy._

The trio came up to front doors and Himeno shoved them open. A man with light brown hair tied back in a ponytail was walking by inside the main hall when he saw the doors open. He wore rounded glasses and had stubble on his chin. He appeared to be in his late thirties.

"Oh, Himeno, there you are! Huh, who are your friends? Hello, I'm Awayuki, Kaoru, Himeno's father."

Ranko gave an awkward bow considering she was still being supported by Sasame. "I'm Saotome Ranko of the Saotome Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu. Um, you don't mind if I stay for a day or two?"

"Of course not! The girls could do with another their age around," Awayuki-san wore the same kind smile as Himeno.

Sasame turned his gaze to Ranko. "I should be going now, I have to be at the studio soon."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you were a DJ, Sasame. Don't worry, I'm sure I can help Ranko to her room." Himeno smiled her trademark grin as she became Ranko's support beam.

"Alright. It was nice meeting you, Awayuki-san." Sasame then exited the mansion.

"Okay! Right this way, Ranko-chan!"

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Ranko hobbled through the hallways searching for the kitchen. Her leg was healed enough that she could walk around with only occasional twinges of pain. As she passed the painting with a bowl of fruit for the third time, Ranko growled in frustration.

"Where the heck is the kitchen!"

Her yelling drew the attention of one of the residents. "If you're looking for the kitchen, it's on the first floor."

Ranko whirled to face the girl. She was a bit taller than her (who wasn't), had greenish hair and aqua eyes. Her hair curled to frame her face. It was her eyes that caught Ranko's attention, she had the same look that Ranma sometimes had. Ranko blinked at that thought. _Since when did I start thinking myself as two separate people?_ "Uh, thanks, um, who're you?"

"You don't know who I am?" The girl seemed to have a bewildered look on her porcelain face.

"I'm not from around here; I live in Nerima."

"Oh, I'm Awayuki Mawata."

"Are you related to Himeno?"

"She is my step-sister. Are you a friend of hers?"

"Yeah. Oh! I'm Saotome Ranko, wanna be friends? I never had that many with Pops always messing around me and my brother's social life."

Mawata smiled. "I…would like that. No one has ever asked to be my friend before."

An understanding was reached that night as two souls found an understanding. An eternal bond of friendship was forged as Ranko and Mawata traded tales of their lives.

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SSD: (huff puff) Damn them, I had to go around three times around the world just to punish those lazy bums I hired.

Nabiki: Pay up, SSD. I had to do the disclaimer, so you owe me.

SSD: Umm, how much do I owe you?

Nabiki: 10000 yen. (holds out hand)

SSD: NANI! I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY!

Nabiki: (pulls out a booker's log) SSD, owes 10000 yen plus interest for every week not paid off.

SSD: o

Sasame: Here are the responses to the reviews sent. We also thank those who sent them.

**Inverness:** The full name of the series is _Legend of the New Snow White: Pretear_. It's the story of a girl called Himeno who finds out that she is the Pretear who must fight with the Leafe Knights to defeat the Princess of Disaster, Takako. The series is short, only 13 episodes. I plan to extend that time frame more and the ending to this will be VASTLY different from canon. I am unsure as to whether or not I am going to separate Ranma and Ranko. If I do separate them, Ranma will end up as a Leafe Knight, his element will be a surprise just incase I do end up splitting them.

**ranger5:** Info on Pretear is above. Don't worry about Ranma immediately falling for a guy. HE won't be falling for any guy, but RANKO will. Call it split personality syndrome.

**Mega Shadow:** Thank you for the review, but as I said, it is still undecided as to if I will split Ranma and Ranko.

**Dumbledork:** Thank you for the input, I hope you will continue reading.

**Rignach:** I appreciate your info. In the last chapter, Ranma was just starting the process of creating his "Ranko" personality. And I am going to be taking it slow.

**diablosminions:** Thanks for the review.

**windstrike:** I'll try to describe the Pretear forms to the best of my abilities, but the costumes are very complex so I might not be able to give an accurate description.

**Saini Casina:** Thanks for the review.

SSD: This also puts up a poll.

Should Ranma and Ranko be separated?

Yes or No

If not, what should be the pairing?

Ranma/Nabiki or Ranko/Sasame or Ranma(Ranko)/Nabiki/Sasame

Side pairing suggestions for a poll next chapter will be welcome.

SSD: That's all, folks! Until next time!


	4. Broken Ties and Everlasting Friendship

SSD: Konnichiwa, minna-san! Hopefully there won't be any interruptions this ti—

Ranma: Have you guys seen Nabiki around here?

Sasame: I haven't seen her since she left last chapter. Have you checked the Tendo Dojo?

Ranma: I just came from there, no one's seen her there either.

SSD: Ahem, can we move on to the story? I hate being interrupt—

Mousse: Saotome, you fiend! How dare you harm my darling Shampoo! Prepare to die! (lashes out with chains and swords.

SSD: THAT DOES IT! KAMUI! DARK! SUBARU! KOUGA! GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE AND DO YOUR JOB!

K,D,S&K: (barge into the studio smelling like smoke) What? What?

SSD: Your pay is here by cancelled until you can prove that you can do your job correctly, got it! Now get rid of the blind duck!

Kouga: Damn it, now how am I supposed to pay for an engagement ring? (sighs and restrains Mousse)

Ranma: HEY! I could've handled him!

Kouga: I'm just doin' my job, kid. (tosses Mousse into to VORTEX of DOOM)

(security crew start to leave, but SSD blocks their path)

SSD: (crosses arms across her chest and glares) Where do you think you're going? We have some…business…to _discuss_.

(the security crew shifts nervously, not liking the look in SSD eyes.)

(In the Basement)

(security is tied up to steel chairs that resemble the "electric chair" Everyone is bound hand and foot by steel cords. Their eyes are taped open as SSD stands in front of a 64" TV, an EVIL video tape in her hand.)

SSD: I shall make sure that you do your job with this as punishment. (sticks video in VCR and sticks earplugs in her ears)

TV: Everybody! I love you, you love me! We're a happy family—

Subaru: (actually showing emotion) NOOOO! NOT THE PURPLE DEMON!

Kamui: KOTORI, SAVE ME!

Kouga: ONLY THIS IS MORE EVIL THAN NARAKU!

Dark: KRAD, I WILL ALLOW YOU TO KILL ME IF ONLY TO SAVE MYSELF THIS AGONY!

SSD: (nods head in satisfaction) This should teach you. Sasame, the disclaimer please.

Sasame: (shudders in sympathy for the others) Evil, evil.

Disclaimer: SilverSerpentDragon does not own Pretear or Ranma.

SSD: Oh, poll results are as follows.

Should Ranma and Ranko be separated?

Yes 4 No 5

If not, what should the pairing be?

Ranma/Nabiki 0 Ranko/Sasame 2 Ranma(Ranko)/Nabiki/Sasame 3

SSD: Keep sending your opinion, now on with the show!

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Chapter 3: Broken Ties and Everlasting Friendships

Ranko waved good bye to the Awayuki family as the Rolls Royce drove away. _It was so nice of Natsue-san to offer me a ride back to Nerima, _Ranko mused as she settled into the cushiony leather seats. As the scenery passed by, the martial artist began to think about the talk she had last night with Mawata.

_Mawata led the red haired aquatransexual into her room. _

_"Mikage left some snacks for me earlier, please help yourself. Can I ask you a question."_

_Ranko remembered to use the etiquette lessons her mother pounded into her and swallowed the contents in her mouth before answering. "Sure, I don't mind. Friends are supposed to get to know one another, right?"_

_Mawata smiled slightly. "I suppose. Umm, if you don't mind me asking, why did you ask ME to be your friend?" The aqua haired girl asked in curiosity._

_The martial artist set down the tea she was about to drink and sighed. "I saw the same look in your eyes that I've seen before in my brother's and my own eyes. The look of loneliness while being surrounded by others, a look of sadness while you try to please others. I guess, I saw myself in you."_

_Mawata looked down as her shoulders started to shake. "So you pitied me?" There was a hint of anger to her voice._

_Ranko immediately shook her head and made warding gestures. "No, that's not it at all! I meant that I saw a kindred spirit in you; one who tries to fit in but never does, someone who always stands out no matter how normal you try to act. That's what I saw in you, what I see in myself: someone who just needs a friend."_

_The eighth grader raised her head and Ranko saw that she was crying. To her surprise, Mawata leapt across the low table to fling her arms around the martial artist's neck. The aqua haired girl buried her head in Ranko's shoulder as she cried._

_"No one, no one has ever understood. No one has tried to be my friend. Thank you, thank you so much."_

_The smile she gave touched Ranko's soul as she too began to cry. Both had come to an understanding._

"Excuse me, Saotome-san, but we are here," Tanaka's announcement brought Ranko back to reality.

She noticed that she was back in Nerima, meaning she would have to start referring to herself as a guy again. She blinked at that thought, _Since when did I start thinking myself as a girl?_ Ranko shrugged it off and stepped out of the Rolls Royce.

"Thanks for the ride, Tanaka-san. Can you give Natsue-san my thanks also?"

"Will be done at once, Saotome-san!" The short fat and going bald man gave Ranko a salute before driving off.

With dread, Ranko noticed that the Tendos, her parents, and the rest of the NWC were out on the front lawn.

"BOY! What do you think you are doing as girl! I demand you change back this instant! Oh, why have the Kami cursed me with such a worthless—" Genma mouth was clamped shut by a ring of steel that suddenly appeared around his head and over the offending opening in his skull.

Ranko lowered her hand and stared at it in awe with a hint of fear. _How, how did I do that? It felt like…Leafe instead of Ki. What's going on?_

"Ranko-chan, what have I told you about attacking your father needlessly?" Nodoka frowned.

"Mom, umm, I have to talk to you. Alone." Ranko's voice carried a tint of fear, ignoring her mother's reprimand.

"Ranma no Hentai! I bet you were at one of those floozies places! HENTAI!" Akane walloped Ranko with her mallet. Instead of it hitting her, Ranko dodged out of the way.

"Airen go on date with Shampoo yes?"

"I hope you're hungry, Ranchan. I made some deluxe okonomiyaki for ya."

"I'm Ranko, you bakas! You aren't good enough for my brother!" Ranko then slapped a hand over her mouth in shock. "Wha—What was that? M-Mom, I think I really have to talk to you NOW!"

Nodoka and the others were in shock as well. "I think we should talk as well."

The two walked to the dojo, the only place without cameras or other listening devices. "Would you care to explain what is going on, son?"

Ranko sighed and plopped down on the floor. "Yesterday, when Akane malleted me, she didn't just send me to another place in the district, she sent me all the way to Awayuki Town."

"Isn't that where Awayuki Natsue lives? Didn't she rename the entire town after her new husband?" Nodoka gracefully settled down on the mat of the dojo.

Ranko nodded and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Mawata-chan and Himeno-chan are really nice. Natsue-san also. Kaoru-san is a little eccentric. Mayune is very similar to Kodachi, but her laugh isn't nearly so bad. Mawata-chan was surprised that there was someone with a worse laugh than Mayune. They helped me out since I broke my leg in the landing. Heh heh, Sasame wasn't able to become a complete landing pad. I told them the story we came up with so that they wouldn't freak out. Sasame-kun—um I mean—"

Nodoka held a hand up. "Son, I would like you to know that while bedding girls is manly, to be with a man is not."

"That's not it! It's like—I think Akane's mallet strike did something to me! I mean, I'm thinking like a girl! But when I took a hot shower at the Awayuki-ke and turned back into a guy, I was 'normal'. It's like Akane's mallet has divided my psyche into two halves; my feminine—this side, and my masculine—guy side. I don't know why it's happening, but I'm also starting to hear _Ranma_ whispering in the back of my mind."

Ranko's mother looked thoughtful at this information. "This sounds like a case of split-personality syndrome. There is no cure except for anti-psychotics, but I don't want your fighting skills messed up. What do you remember? From the training trip?"

"Everything, but it's like I'm an outsider looking in. I see myself there also, as a younger Ranko. It's like my memories are changing the more my individuality splits. You won't have Ranma—ME—commit seppuku because he—I seem to be going crazy, will you?"

"No." The katana wielder whispered. "Ranma…Ranko, there is something I must tell you. You were supposed to have a twin, but something during conception made it so that the second zygote was absorbed into you. You have two strands of DNA in you, yours and your twin's. Your twin, from what the doctors could tell from the second set of DNA, was to be a girl."

"So that's why my memories could be changing? It's my other DNA copying everything I learned as Ranma? My landing in the Spring of Drowned Girl could have been my ki trying to balance itself out because I had the ki of two people?"

"I would assume so. But what is it you meant by Akane is not good enough for y—Ranma?"

"Mom, she hits him—ME—at the slightest provocation. She never listens to what Ran—I—have to say. She—"

"I think it would be easier for you to continue talking as if Ranma is another person seeing how technically he is. You are two people who are finally separating from the other through this 'curse'. Now, you were saying?"

"Right. Akane is always defending Ryouga and P-chan and telling Ranma to stop picking on them when he hasn't started a fight with 'em. Ranma killed for her and she still continues on like a rage demon! I can hear him, Mom, he is screaming on the inside from the pressure Pops and Tendo-san push on him to marry Akane. You may think she's a nice girl, Mom, but she only puts that up around you. She wants to go into _theatre, _don't you think that's a major clue that Akane is _acting_?"

Nodoka had an epiphany. She remembered that during their talks, Akane would constantly say that while she was a "martial artist" she wanted to be an actress on stage. She had quoted some lines from Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night_ and Nodoka had been impressed with the girl's performance. Could it be that Akane had been playing her as a fool? "I…see."

"Plus, she's always trying to poison Ranma by forcing that nuclear sludge she calls food down his throat. She's been playing everyone, Mom. I doubt that even Nabiki realizes that she's being suckered. Akane's definitely smarter than she appears."

Nodoka's lips pursed like she had sucked on a lemon. "I see. I will declare Akane as unfit for my son once we return to the others. What of the other fiancés?"

"Ukyo is out of the question for Ranma, she makes a good friend though. The reason why I see her unfit is that she wants to chain Ranma down to an okonomiyaki restaurant with him doing martial arts as a hobby only. Ranma can't do that, he lives for the Art. If that's taken away from him, he's like a fish washed up on shore that can't get back into the water. That is also why Shampoo is eliminated as a good candidate. The males in the Joketsuzoku cannot actively practice the art. Mousse is an exception because he is not in China at the moment. Were Ranma to marry Shampoo, he would die on the inside and become nothing but a shell. I am not even going to explain why Kodachi is a bad choice for him……" Ranko paused for a long time, her eyes out of focus. Clarity made a sudden appearance when she blinked. "Ranma's voice is stronger now. He says that he would be better off with Nabiki than any of the others."

"Why not Kasumi?" Nodoka asked with a frown. She knew that Nabiki brought in the money for the Tendos along with what little insurance money was left from when Tendo Kimiko died. Nabiki was a very shrewd person, mercenary-like.

Ranko's eyes unfocused once more. "Ranma says that Kasumi already likes someone and he doesn't want to destroy her happiness. Also, once Nabiki finds out that Ranma and I are friends with Awayuki family, she won't question the engagement if it's switched to her. She won't hit Ranma and she won't try to swindle us out of our money because she'll be trying to get into the good graces of the Awayukis."

Nodoka nodded in approval of her daughter's reasoning. "Your explanations are very sound. Shall we go and announce our decisions. Oh, you may want to change into Ranma."

"Okay, Mom."

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Ranko went to the kitchen for some hot water while Nodoka herded the others into the dining room. As the neo-Pretear passed Akane, she noticed that the tomboy bitch had P-chan in her arms. Ranko filled a glass with water and put it into the microwave. As she waited for the water to finish heating, she thought back to what Sasame said to her when he came to check up on the newest Pretear.

_"Hello."_

_Ranko eeped in surprise and whirled around to face the intruder. It was none other than the Knight of Sound._

_"What're you doing here?" She hissed and held a hand to her chest so as to calm her racing heart._

_"I came to check up on you and answer any questions you may have," the violet eyed DJ replied._

_"Oh." Ranko walked to her temporary bed and sat down. "Pull up a chair, I get the feeling you might be here for a while." Sasame did as she suggested and strode over to the desk chair. He carried it over to Ranko's bedside and set it down. He then sat down. "How am I a Pretear? That Takako woman seemed shocked that there would be two."_

_Sasame leaned back, a puzzled look on his face. "In the past, the Pretear has always been a girl with a pure heart and high spirituality. I seem to recall once when Takako got angered, she had a visible aura of red around her. I remember it well because she was normally a calm woman."_

_"A battle aura." Ranko whispered._

_As the Knight of Sound, Sasame easily heard what she said. "A battle aura?" He repeated._

_Ranko's storm grey eyes met his. "A battle aura is ki generated by one certain emotion that appears in the visible spectrum." She concentrated slightly and an aura of blue sprung up around her. Sasame nearly fell out of his chair in shock. "That was my battle aura based on confidence. My brother can produce the same aura. A…friend of ours uses depression as his power source so his battle aura is green. Is that what you meant by spirituality?"_

_Sasame numbly nodded still shocked at the almost casual display of power. "That is what Takako was able to do. I think I've seen Himeno do the same trick once or twice on Hayate."_

_"I'm surprised. She seems like the happy-go-lucky type. I know plenty of other girls who can generate a battle aura, but I wouldn't exactly call them pure hearted."_

_Sasame nodded in contemplation. 'It would only make sense that such pure hearts are rare.' "Now that your questions have been answered, is your leg healing well?"_

The microwave beeped and snapped Ranko back to reality. She took the cup out of the electric appliance and upended it over head. As Ranko shifted into Ranma, HE could feel the change wash over him as Ranko was pushed to the back of his hand. Ranma also noticed that he seemed to be left handed while Ranko was right handed. _Very strange_, he thought as he headed out to the awaiting mass in the dining room.

Chaos started once he entered the room. The Fiancé Brigade began to yell insults at him about "how dare you call me a baka" and the like. The fathers were wailing about him being dishonorable; Genma's "muzzle" seemed to have faded from existence during Ranma's time in the kitchen. Cologne demanded that he act as an Amazon husband—translation: how dare you call your own Amazon wife a baka; do as you are told, stupid male; etc. The rivals were insulting him for insulting their loves.

"Enough!" Nodoka stated as she drew her katana. The ringing of steel unsheathed silenced the arguing NWC. "We are here to discuss my son's engagement to several of these young ladies. Due to infallible evidence that I have witnessed just now, it seems as though my son is treated as no more than a prize to be won. I will not tolerate this. My son is a man amongst men, not a toy for all of you to fight over. As of now, by my decree as Head of the Saotome clan, all engagements except the Tendo-Saotome pact are void. Even then, the engagement to Akane is—at my son's bequest—switched to Nabiki."

"WHAT!"

"No outsider law better than Amazon law! Ranma is Shampoo's Airen!" Shampoo turned on Nabiki with a maniacal glint in her eyes. "Obstacle for killing!" She leapt at the mercenary girl.

Ranma lashed his hand out and caused the bonbori Shampoo held to fly out of her hand. The weapons hovered in the air, suspended by Ranma's will. He glared at the Amazon.

"You will not hurt my fiancé. Nabiki is a better choice than all of you because she will not tie me down to any simpleton dreams of a restaurant, a beginner instructor, or a slave! I am not a thing but a person! I used to be able to count my true friends on one hand, NONE! The only people who came close to being friends were Kasumi and Tofu-sensei," Ranma glared at the ones he could have called friends.

"Used to, Saotome? And don't think I'll go easy on you because we're engaged," Nabiki coolly stated.

"Yes, used to. I now have four guy friends and Ranko has two girl friends," Ranma stated.

"Pervert!" Akane yelled as she attempted to mallet him. No one seemed to notice how he referred to his girl half as another person, except two.

Instead of the mallet hitting him, Ranma fired a Ki blast at the offending weapon, vaporizing it. "As you are not my fiancé anymore, I don't have to sit around and let you mallet me whenever you want. And I don't see how it's perverted that my sister has friends that are girls."

"SISTER!" Even Nabiki was surprised, there were no records on Ranma having a sister let alone one named Ranko when she checked a month ago.

Ranma smirked. "My girl half is actually my twin sister, Ranko. Mom, what was the condition called?"

"It is called Chimera Syndrome where there are two strands of separate DNA in the same body. The condition is rare and happens when twins do not develop properly and one 'absorbs' the other into it," Nodoka explained as she shifted her katana in her lap. She had sheathed it shortly after Ranma began talking.

Cologne stood up abruptly. "Come, Shampoo, we are leaving."

Shampoo looked bewildered and shot a curious glance at her great-grandmother. "Why we go?" The purple haired Amazon was still trying to free her bonbori from Ranma's mental grip.

"Son-in-law—no, Ranma is a Chimera. He has the strength of not one but two people. While his Ki is strong on its own, with the added Ki of Ranko I have no doubt that SHE would try to destroy the Joketsuzoku if we continue trying to force Ranma into our tribe. The fact that Ranma is Chimera and Jusenkyo cursed to a girl form makes him—and Ranko—immune to the Kisses of Death and Marriage. This is especially so now as Ranma and Ranko seem to have two separate personalities now if Ranma's indication was anything to go by," The Amazon matriarch explained to her fellow Amazon.

Ranma chuckled and released the hold on Shampoo's bonbori. "Got that right, old ghoul and right now, Ranko is laughing at you. Whatever I see and hear, she sees and hears also. One body, two minds. We have the same bond that normal twins have, but we share the same body through the Jusenkyo curse," he explained to the benefit of others who couldn't understand (cough Akane cough)

"Before Akane interrupted about you and your…sister's friends, I believe you were going to tell us who they are?" Nabiki attempted to get the conversation back on track.

"Right! My friends are Hikari Kei, Bouchoudo Sasame—"

"Wait a minute! Are you talking about THE Bouchoudo Sasame, the radio DJ?" Ranma's new fiancé asked in shock.

"Yeah, that's him. Umm, then there's Kazeyotaka Hayate and Bakuchiku Go. There's also three kids that hang with them, I think they're cousins or something. Umm, Hyouketsu Mannen, Mizuno Hajime, and Chichuukouki Shintaku, or Shin as everyone calls him. Ranko's friends with Awayuki Himeno and Mawata."

"You—Ranko's friends with the Awayuki family!" Nabiki's eyes bugged and she began to formulate plans. "I take it back, I am DEFINITELY going to be easy on you." _If I marry Ranma and he's a friend of the Awayukis, I can get into any college of my choice if they just pull a few strings. Tendo Nabiki, you are one lucky girl!_

Ranma smiled as he knew what was going through Nabiki's head. "I think that about does it for this meeting. Ukyo, If you want, Ranko and I are willing to be your friends. Besides, I think your father won't mind the broken engagement seeing how I am a medical freak."

"But-but why is t-the Tendo en-engagement still i-in e-effect?" Ukyo asked through her sobs.

"Because Kimiko and I made that promise long before Genma and Soun came up with their 'unite the schools' pledge. As I am the Clan Head of the Saotome House, it is within my authority, not Genma's, that engagements are voided or validated," Nodoka explained. "I will compensate you for your lost dowry, of course."

Ukyo nodded and her crying began to subside. "I-I would like to b-be your friend, Ra-Ranchan."

In Akane's arms, P-chan was very confused. _Does this mean that when Ranma is in girl form, it's really his sister? Or is it just recently that he's formed a split personality? Wait, he's not engaged to Akane anymore? This is my chance, she is free to be pursued! Oh, my sweet Akane, we can finally be together! _Of course, this came out in a series of squeals, oinks, and snorts. _This means I don't have to fight Ranma anymore. He's actually done something right for once. Maybe…we can be friends after all._

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SSD: Whew, that's all for this chapter. Oops, I left the guys in the basement during all this. Be right back. (goes into the basement)

(security crew's eyes are blood shot and they're mumbling incoherently)

SSD: (sweat drop) I think I broke them. (frees the security crew) Sasame! Ranma! Sesshoumaru! Hayate! Take them to the rehabilitation center. Hmm? (turns to corner of the room as the guys carry security to the rehabilitation room. Sees Nabiki huddled in the corner rocking back and forth.) What's wrong with you?

Nabiki: I love you, you love me. We're a happy family hehehehehahhahah! (starts to act insane.

SSD: Woah! (transports Nabiki to the rehabilitation room with her restricted authoress powers) I hate being a Category 5 Class 4 Authoress. WHEN DO I GET MY PROMOTION?

Kami-sama: YOU WILL BE PROMOTED WHEN YOU REACH 50 REVIEWS FOR ONE OF YOUR STORIES, THAT IS A MARK OF CATEGORY 4 AUTHORS.

SSD: Damn, please review my stories guys, I really want that promotion! See ya!

Responses:

**goku90504: **Thanks for the review. I may end up canceling the poll because most people don't want Ranma and Ranko separated. It sucks because I have the perfect explanation on how to do that. Hope you will review this chapter as well.

**Darkepyon:** Thanks for the review. But the more I think about it, the harder it becomes for me to keep Ranma and Ranko together.

**Crimson Yrael:** Actually, as you found out in this chapter, the curse is not the reason for Ranma/Ranko's split personality, it was merely the catalyst. Ranma's training in Ki also accelerated the process of mental division. If I decide to, Ranma and Ranko will separate in the last or second to last chapter. Sorry, but I'm a fan of Nabiki/Ranma so it will end up that pairing one way or another. Don't expect it to go smoothly though, they will have their arguments and Ranma will develop a crush on someone else (no, it's not another guy; that's Ranko's job.)

**Mee-ow:** I must thank you for pointing out my errors, I really appreciate it. I have the problem to become so absorbed in the story I'm writing that I tend to leave out some phrases that I meant to put in and didn't it. If you will go back, you'll see that I did fix that chapter up and added some description of the Awayuki estate hopefully to yours and Crimson Yraels satisfaction. I also added a bit on the Opening Theme/Prologue chapter. I hope that this chapter satisfies you in regards to why Ranko is a Pretear and why Nabiki and Ranma will be together with no qualms. I also hope that my explanations on why each fiancé is not acceptable to Ranma are satisfactory.

**Inverness:** Thanks for the review, but I am starting to think of canceling the separation poll.

**Saini Casina: **Thank you for the review, you're one of the only people who voted for separation. And you do raise a question, I completely forgot about the Neko-Ken! I'm not too sure now on how I'm going to resolve that screw up, but be assured that it will be resolved.

**Dumbledork:** Actually, if you notice in this chapter, it's not the curse that makes Ranma Ranma, but the fact that he has his own sister's DNA in him. That DNA has now been transferred over to his "cursed" form. That form is what Ranko would have been like had she not been absorbed by Ranma. And there has been a Pretear/Ranma crossover, it's just in the Pretear section and hasn't been updated for a while. Also, I'm thinking that despite the poll, I'm going to separate Ranma and Ranko anyway. I just wanted to see the popular consensus.

**Blitz1775:** Ranma and Nabiki are NOT going to immediately like each other as I've seen in other Nabiki/Ranma pairings. Nabiki is only going to stay engaged to Ranma for the chance to associate with people higher on the social ladder than the Tendos. Since Ranma—or rather Ranko—is friends with two of the Awayuki daughters, that puts him in a higher social standing. Nabiki thinks that if she becomes friends with the Awayuki girls, she'll have a better chance to get into the college of her choice. Afterwards, some feelings will begin to develop.

**Slade13:** As you've probably read, Ranko is NOT the spirit of the pool. She is Ranma's twin sister who he absorbed as a zygote. Chimera is an actual medical term, there are people with two sets of DNA instead of one. Their blood and sexual fluids have a different DNA code than their other cells. Again, I am not making it up, there are Chimeras out there. Also, Akane's mallet strike hit a pressure point on Ranma's head that gave Ranko the chance to leak out. Eventually, Ranma won't be able to control his girl form at all, Ranko will be the one who holds the reins to that body.

**Rignach:** I appreciate the reviews, but as I said before, I may just split Ranma and Ranko anyway. I am not comfortable with threesomes, though technically it is two couples. It just seems wrong to me.

**Cylon One:** Thanks for the review.

**anss123:** Ranma/Ranko doesn't really have a split personality. Ranko's mind inhabits Ranma's "cursed" form while Ranma controls his "birth" form. Both forms of Ranma/Ranko are their birth forms as Ranma's "cursed" form isn't what he would look like if he were born a girl, it is what Ranko would look like had she not been "absorbed" by Ranma. I think I said this before. I am going to follow your advise, but they will split at the end of the story so there are not two main characters (physically, mentally is another matter entirely). Ranma is going to be friends with the Leafe Knights as I plan to make him one in the end. I've already given hints to his element in this chapter.

**Piemur1:** Thanks for the review, and I can understand your fixation with Narnia, it was a great movie. Anyway, due to the "spirit of the spring" being very common place and over used, I decided to use this theory of Chimera and the resulting combination of Ki. I have to say that it causes a very interesting situation, don't you? I don't think I'll curse the knights, I have no idea on how to work that into this story with a plausible reason.

**Howard Russell:** I thank you for the review, but do you know how difficult it is to keep Ranma and Ranko now that I have most of the story plotted in my head? I'm most likely going to split them up eventually so will get your "split personality threesome" for a long while.

**Jerry Unipeg:** Thanks for the compliment. Ranko and Mawata will have a long and fulfilling friendship if I have anything to say about it. I thought they'd make good friends because of their similarities: Ranma/Ranko has plenty of people he/she calls "friend" but they aren't really friends, Mawata is surrounded by plenty of people who know her name but aren't her friends. The two will get into some conflicts though because of Mawata's crush on Sasame and Ranko's growing attraction towards him.

**Mega Shadow:** I agree, Ranma and Ranko's separation will cause mass confusion. In fact, just the fact that they are two people in the same body right now is going to cause problems for the NWC. Those problems just haven't shown themselves yet.

**RubberNeck:** Okay, the whole Ranko's decision part will be explained WHEN the story reaches that point. I can only say that her decision will be based on Nabiki and Nodoka. And about Ranma and Ranko immediately becoming two different people? They have been slowly separating before this, but with the courses of action taken lately, the separation process speeded up. They are not yet two individuals, Ranma and Ranko are still somewhat meshed together. You may not notice that right now, but trust me, when the twins' personality fully separates, you will see DRASTIC differences in Ranma and Ranko's mannerisms. Don't worry though, Ranma's still going to be the Ranma we all know and love, he'll just be a bit more knowledgeable with the occasional case of foot-in-mouth syndrome.

Poll:

Side pairings:

Kasumi/Tofu (definite)

Mawata/Ryouga

Akane/Go

Akane/Ryouga

Mawata/Mousse

Shampoo/Mousse

Mawata/Kei

Nodoka/Kei (will be explained later)

Akane/Mannen (again, will be explained later)

SSD: Okay, I said I would explain those last two pairings and I will now. Nodoka will learn the extent to Genma's idiocy and divorce him. Akane will accidentally eat one of those aging mushrooms and shrink to the age of twelve. How she will get a hold of those, I don't know. Remember to vote on the side pairings! This is bye for real.


	5. Tying Up Loose Ends

SSD: Konnichiwa, minna-san. Sorry that I'm not as enthusiastic as I normally am, but I've been helping my mom take down Christmas decorations all day. Wait, scratch that. I'M the one whose been doing all the work.

Kurama: Poor you.

SSD: (looks startled) Where the hell did you come from!

Kurama: (confused) Don't you remember? You hired me to be on your security crew. Along with them (points behind him at three other people) until your original crew gets back to normal.

SSD: (turns to others) I don't remember hiring you, Kenshin, Miroku, and Krad.

Miroku: (takes SSD's hands) Fair lady, will you do me the honor of bearing my child?

SSD: (smacks Miroku) HENTAI! I'm only 17 for crying out loud! Great, I replace one flirt for another. This is just not my day.

Kenshin: Excuse this one for asking, but why are we needed?

Ranma: HELP! I'M BEING CHASED BY DEMENTED SHINOBI! (runs through the studio with the Kuonji Clan right behind him)

SSD: (points at the shinobi) That's why. My studio keeps getting broken into. I need people who are actually aware of what's going on and not playing poker while smoking cigars.

Krad: (pulling out a PDA from his coat…thing) We will put the best security system in place as it seems there is not one installed. You're lucky you don't have any priceless items, otherwise Dark would have stolen them already.

SSD: (whistles innocently and hides a complete Shikon no Tama in her pocket) I don't have anything rare to be stolen. Nope, nothing. (also hides her precious anime and manga collection, including the first volume of Fullmetal Alchemist that is signed by the voice actor of Edward Elric)

Kenshin: What was that jewel you just hid?

SSD: Ummm…

Inuyasha: Oi, Dragon-bitch! Give me back my Shikon no Tama!

SSD: (glares) Kagome gave this to me to protect, you stupid mutt! Also, just because my penname has "Dragon" in it does NOT make me an actual dragon. Let me break it down for you; I like silver, serpents, and dragons. IS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH FOR YOU?

Inuyasha: (whimpers and has ears laying on his skull)

Kurama: (shakes head to clear out ringing)

Kenshin: (rubs ears)

Krad: (is cowering in a corner)

Miroku: (whacks Inuyasha on the head with his staff) It is not polite to call a lady a bitch.

Ranma: I SAID HELP ALREADY! (runs past with shinobi STILL chasing him)

SSD: Like you care about politeness, flirt? Anyway, can you guys escort Inuyasha out of here and deal with those stupid shinobi? I have a story to get to here.

Neo-Security: On it, miss/miss SSD/ma'am/my lady!

SSD: Ranma! If you're not too busy, can you do the disclaimer?

Ranma: Why me?

Disclaimer: SilverSerpentDragon does NOT own Ranma, Pretear, or any other characters that act as her worthless security crew.

"blah" normal talking

"_blah" _Leafe Knights to Pretear during merge

'**_blah' _**Ranko to Ranma

"**_blah"_** Ranma to Ranko

_blah _personal thoughts

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Chapter 4: Tying Up Loose Ends

Ranma woke with a start as cold water spilled over his once sleeping form. Ranko saw a smug Akane standing in the doorway. The tomboy was holding a bucket in her hand. She brushed her sopping wet bangs back to glare at her with stormy eyes.

"And what, pray tell, was that for?"

"It's time to wake up, you pervert, I don't want to be late," the angry girl then turned to storm out of the room.

"I am not a pervert if I inhabit my own body! Otenba no baka!" Ranko shouted at the retreating Akane.

Still grumbling to herself, Ranko gathered a new set of clothes and headed to the furo for a good soak. She made sure to check for the occupied sign before entering and stripping. Just as she was about to step into the heated water and relinquish control back to Ranma, the water began to bubble.

"What the hell?"

The water suddenly gushed up like a geyser. A boy with orange hair and wearing a pale blue Romanesque toga sat on top of it looking around. He caught sight of Ranko.

"Ranko-san! We need your help!"

"Hajime-kun? Umm, can you let me get dressed first?" Ranko blushed pink. She, unlike her brother when he used to control this form, had feminine modesty.

The neo-Pretear quickly threw on the Chinese shirt that was her and her brother's trademark as well as a pair of boxers. Hajime led her to the water where he had made the portal. They jumped in and landed in the midst of the battle. Himeno, she noticed, had pretted with Go between the time Hajime came to get her and the time she arrived. Ranko felt a tugging on her sleeve and looked down to see Hajime.

"Pret with me? Please?" The nine year old resorted to the dreaded puppy dog eyes.

"Alright," Ranko grabbed Hajime and jumped out of the way of a stray blast from Kei. She shot a glare at the yellow clad knight.

"Sorry about that!"

Ranko shook her head and looked down at the little knight. "How do we do this?"

Hajime's ocean blue eyes lit up with excitement. "Just take my hand!"

Ranko and Hajime's hands met in a gentleman-to-lady manner. Time seemed to slow down as their two separate Leafe started to merge into one. To Ranko, it was slightly uncomfortable as she started to get the feeling of being crowded. Their clothes had seemingly melted away, their bodies were glowing a bright white. Ranko bent down to hug Hajime as she was sure he was feeling uncomfortable; only he turned into a dark blue orb of Leafe! The Hajime-orb melded into Ranko. Rivulets of water streamed around her and in a burst of white light and water, the Pretear of Water Ranko was created!

She wore a short white dress with a high blue collar and puffy short sleeves. Her wrists and the backs of her hands were covered in an odd blue glove. Over the dress was a blue cover anchored to her by a tear shaped ruby that connected to the cover. Small sapphires acted as buttons on cover. The ballroom gown styled cover billowed out behind Ranko and was open in front from her waist down. A gold tiara with large sapphires was placed delicately on her head. White, ankle-high boots adorned her feet. Her bright red hair was also out of her usual pigtail.

"_Look out!"_ A voice shouted within Ranko's mind as she examined her changes.

She dodged out of the way of a tentacle aimed at her from one of the demon larva. "Is that you, Hajime? If it is, I think my head is getting too crowded, no offense or anything."

"_Don't worry, about it. I can sense another presence in here, is that what you meant by getting too crowded?_"

"Yeah. Anyway, how do I deal with this thing?"

Currently, there were two demon larva attacking at once. Himeno, Hayate, and Kei were attacking the one. Mannen and Sasame were helping Ranko deal with the other. Shin was off to the side and out of the crossfire, the five year old was preparing to do…something. Ranko took in her surroundings in two seconds. She dodged another tentacle that was soon destroyed by Sasame. Ranko nodded in gratitude and settled into an attack stance.

"_Concentrate your Leafe and try to find the core of the demon larva. Then you attack_."

"Gotcha!"

Ranko evaded the tentacles that the jellyfish/mushroom shaped demon larva attempted to attack her with. She thought she could see an aura of black energy surrounding one specific area. Assuming this was the core, Ranko lashed out with her new energy.

"WATER FLAIL!" Water spiraled around the Water Pretear as she spun in place. The water flowed to her right arm and curled around it. Her hand clenched and she lashed out at the dark aura. The water followed the projected path in a thin line, like a whip. The attack struck and the "eye" of the demon larva cracked before shattering into a thousand pieces. At this time, Himeno and the others had finished up with the other one.

Hajime un-pretted with Ranko and appeared at her side in a whirl of blue and white energy. He smiled up at her and hugged her around her waist (A/N: Well, Ranko is pretty short for a sixteen year old). Ranko then realized that the others were staring at her and she remembered that she was only half dressed. She blushed a bright scarlet.

"Would one of you mind taking me home? I don't want to be any later to school than I already am and I have to make sure that my baka brother isn't sleeping in again."

**_"Who're you callin' a baka, imouto-chan!"_** A masculine voice shouted in her head. **_"Don't you dare ignore me like you did when that kid was in here, too!"_**

"If you don't mind, Ranko-san, I'd be more than willing to teleport you," Sasame offered as he held out his hand.

Ranko's blush intensified as she placed her own tiny hand in his larger one.

"I need you to think clearly of where you wish to go seeing how I don't know where your home is."

The front gate of the Tendo dojo popped into her head and she remembered that she had yet to take her morning soak. A purple light surrounded the two of them and a nauseous feeling washed over Ranko. The light faded and she noticed, despite feeling ill, that they were hovering over the furo. Dread settled in her stomach as the water rushed up to greet them.

'**_Please, Ranma, act like me!'_** Ranko shouted in her mind as Ranma took control over his normal body.

He sputtered in surprise and tried to get rid of the water that found a way into his lungs.

"R-Ranko? I guess you weren't kidding about the curse. Could you please explain to me WHY we are in a furo?" Ranma heard a voice that he had come to recognize as Sasame's.

He turned to the drenched Sound Knight. "Umm, yeah, about that. I really didn't mean it, but I just remembered that I had yet to bathe this morning. Don't be mad?"

Sasame sighed, but accepted the excuse. He raised a hand and flicked a lock of soaked silver hair out of his face. "I should be going then. Take care, Ranko." His voice warped a bit as he teleported out in a purple flicker of light.

**_'He's hot when wet. Maybe I should do this again, only think of the canal.'_** Ranko voiced her opinion within Ranma's mind.

**_"Hell naw! I am not going to get romantically involved with a guy, even if it is you that does the romance part! I am a guy!"_** Ranma argued as he dragged himself out of the furo. He grabbed the hair band on the floor that Ranko took out so that she could bathe. He braided his hair into a pigtail and exited the bathing room to head up to the guest room for a change of clothes.

**_'Look, just because I'm stuck inside of you doesn't mean I'm just going to sit around and let you forbid me from dating!'_** His twin shouted at him. **_'I happen to like Sasame, and I know that you have a slight attraction to Mawata-chan!'_**

Ranma entered the guest room he shared with his panda of a father. **_"I am NOT attracted to her, I just see her as a friend. Besides, I have enough girl trouble as it is. I have no doubt that Ucchan is still gonna try and get close enough ta me for me ta wanna marry her and I know Shampoo ain't gonna give up even with the old ghoul's insistence that she should. Plus, we have a jealous Akane to deal with. Nabiki ain't gonna be a problem with her tryin' ta use ya ta get close ta the Awayukis."_** He changed out of his wet shirt and boxers and put on a new pair of boxers and black tangs. He chose to wear a grey shirt today instead of his normal red.

**_'Well, I'll be, Ranma actually has a brain and is using it! Nerima must be in trouble or the world is going to end soon! Don't forget to grab your book bag.'_**

Ranma made his way down the stairs, making sure to grab his school supplies at Ranko's reminder. He passed Kasumi as she was cleaning up around the house. The young woman noticed the raven haired martial artist.

"Oh, Ranma-kun! What are you still doing here? I thought you and Akane-chan had already left for school. You also missed breakfast."

Ranma snapped out of his internal bickering with his sister and finally realized that Kasumi was in the same room. "Uh, Kasumi, I didn't see you there. Yeah, um, I forgot my book bag so I came back to get it. Sorry about missing breakfast, I guess it just slipped my mind."

**_'Good one, bro, like Kasumi would believe that. You must be nuts!'_** Ranko snickered.

**_"Shut it, sis."_**

"Oh my, you shouldn't be so forgetful, Ranma-kun. You also shouldn't miss breakfast, it is the most important meal of the day," The long-haired brunette scolded lightly before going back to cleaning.

**_'I don't believe it. Is Kasumi really that gullible?'_**

**_"What was that about her not believing me? Looks like I ain't loony, even though I do have a voice in my head."_**

Ranma grinned sheepishly. "I'll make sure not to miss next time, Kasumi-nee-chan. I better get going before I completely miss first period. Ja!"

Ranma slipped on his Chinese slippers and ran to the school. All through the time he argued with Ranko as she ranted her disbelief in the naïve Tendo Kasumi. Unfortunately for him, it seemed that Kuno decided to wait for him so that the delusional "samurai" could "defeat the vile sorcerer and free his pigtailed goddess."

**_'Like I would ever want to be with HIM! I bet that Sasame-kun could handle a sword better than this loser and his weapon is a bow and arrow!'_** Ranko fumed.

**_"Enough with Sasame already! Kami-sama, you only met the guy yesterday and you're already planning on seducing him!"_** Ranma landed a spin kick as Kuno tried to rush him. The True Blunder lost consciousness due to the force Ranma put into the blow.

**_'So what if I just met him! He's nice and sweet and courteous. Nothing like the guys here in Nerima! He's also drop dead gorge—'_**

**_"Don't even finish that statement. I swear it." _**Ranma walked into the school building and cut off the telepathic link to Ranko before she could respond. He entered his homeroom, only to go back into the hall with buckets. Misfortune struck again as it seemed that Akane was also holding buckets. The bob-cut girl glared at the martial artist who seemed to be ignoring her.

"So you finally decided to show up. What the hell took you so long in the furo? Doing perverted things, I bet."

Ranma finally took notice of his ex-fiancé. "Hmm? Oh, it's just you, Akane. Thought it was someone actually worth listenin' to."

SPLASH!

"You jerk! Just because the engagement was switched to Nabiki doesn't mean your off the hook! You'll be begging at the end of the week that I become your fiancé again!" Akane shouted at the smaller redhead.

Ranko fumed, her aura of anger began to evaporate the water still clinging to her. She set down the buckets assigned to Ranma with an eerie calmness. The Pretear then glared at her brother's ex. "Listen here, you ungrateful bitch, just because you're the baby in your family does NOT mean that you can get everything you want. I REFUSE to let my brother marry a wanton child like you!" Heads began to poke through the classroom windows. "Ranma is NOT a trophy to be handed over to the best candidate in the Fiancé Brigade!"

Akane was looking at the small sixteen year old in shock and confusion. "You ARE Ranma, you baka!"

Ranko pulled back her arm and slapped the prissy princess hard. "Shut. Up. You are just as bad as Kuno, living in your own fantasy world. Ranma doesn't have the guts to speak up against you, his honor rules against it. As for me, I am not bound by that honor code. You think you're a martial artist, little girl?"

Akane puffed up in anger and pride, a hand cradled her injured cheek. "I'm the best in Nerima! And the most beautiful."

Ranko laughed so hard she nearly choked. "You, the best in Nerima? At least Kuno has a decent skill level, enough to be called a martial artist. You, you have nothing! All you do is break bricks, daddy's girl. Sure, you have brute strength working for you, but you don't have the skill or speed to even be considered an amateur! And in my brothers words, you are a 'kawaiikune otenba'."

Curious mutterings were being traded by those witnessing Akane's reprimand. The students of Furinkan High were confused as to why Ranma would refer to himself in the third person.

"Also, Ranma is in no way possible a pervert. I sat back for the longest time and let you continue your ways. Had Ranma let me, I would have had control of this body sooner and handed you your ass just as fast! Well guess what, little princess, the next time you try to mallet me instead of Ranma, I, Saotome Ranko, will beat you to within an inch of your life! If you try to feed Ranma or me that poison you call your cooking, I will force feed it down your throat. I am not one to be trifled with, Tendo Akane. I am not Ranma, I am Ranko and I will not allow you to continue your slander and abuse of my brother!"

The declaration startled many—everyone—and the mutterings turned into a cacophony of noise. Some were saying that Ranma had gotten rid of his curse and it split off from him. Others were saying that he had a long lost sister. The main rumor was that the spirit of the spring had manifested in Ranma's girl form, effectively making her his sister. Let's just say that Nabiki was going to be making a killing on selling the truth about Ranma and Ranko to the school.

Akane stood in shock, her left hand was covering the red handprint left on her cheek from Ranko's slap.

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Ranko went down to the nurse's office to ask for some hot water when she felt she ran into a brick wall. She was too busy bickering with Ranma again and wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. She fell back and landed on her rear. Looking up, the Pretear was surprised to see Go standing there.

"Go? What the heck are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in Awayuki Town?" Ranko asked as the Fire Knight helped her up.

"Yeah, well, we decided it would be best if we split up. That way we could alert you of any demon larva attacks. Sasame's supposed to be coming, too, he'll be a year ahead of us though," he answered.

"Sa-Sasame's coming HERE!" There was a pink tinge to her cheeks.

"Yeah. Hey, are you okay? You look a bit flushed," Go placed a hand on her forehead. "You got a bit of a fever. You sure you're alright? Wouldn't be good for our newest recruit to be sick, ne?"

Ranko swatted his hand away. "I'm fine! Just surprised that you guys could arrange it this fast."

Go put his hands in his pockets. "That's where Kei comes in, he helped to set this all up. Computer genius I tell you. By the way, be careful around Sasame. He's a bit temperamental right now. Don't why he's like that though. Oh hey, could you show me the way to the class, ain't familiar with this place."

Ranko nodded and brushed the dirt off her tangs. "Sure. Whose your homeroom?"

The fire knight pulled out a piece of paper from his right pocket. "Umm, it says here it's a Miss Hinako."

Ranko cast him a sympathetic look. "Whatever you do, do NOT anger her or do something stupid. She's one of the most dangerous teachers her. Also, don't be fooled by her looks, she's not as innocent as she seems."

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Nabiki looked up as a guy she had never seen in Nerima walked into the classroom. The history teacher looked up and told him to introduce himself. If she wasn't already engaged and planning on worming her way into the Awayukis through Ranma, Nabiki would have given this guy a shot at dating her.

Sasame smiled slightly at his fellow students. Even though he had graduated from high school sixteen years ago, he still had the physical appearance of a seventeen year old. "Konnichiwa, Bouchoudo Sasame des. Hajimemashite."

Nabiki's jaw dropped. THIS was the famous DJ Sasame? Yen signs appeared her eyes, but she quickly reminded herself that she would go easy on Ranma and that included his real friends. _Damn it. I just HAD to be a softy. Why did Ranma have to make such rich friends that I promised I wouldn't black mail? _Nabiki's mind was drawn back to the past when Ranma had confronted her in an attempt to make peace and confirm that she accepted the engagement switch.

_"Nabiki!" Ranma called out as he caught up to her on the way to her room. "Listen, I hope you aren't mad about the engagement being switched to you again."_

_Nabiki waved it off. "Don't worry about it, Saotome—or should I say Ranma-kun? Besides, you're my ticket to the highest reaches of the social ladder through your friendship with the Awayukis. Just so we're clear on that."_

_"I'm fine with that, but I want to make a few things clear."_

_Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Like what?"_

_"First of all, when people start to ask about why Ranko will refer to me in third person, as I'm sure it's gonna happen, you will tell everyone the truth. That includes my Chimera status. Also tell them that Ranko is friends with very powerful people, so don't mess with her or I and her friends will come down on them like flies to shit."_

_The mercenary ignored his language and agreed to the terms. "Alright, I'll bite since I said I would go easy on you. What else?"_

_"Next, you will NOT blackmail my true friends or try to get more information on them that they are willing to give. You earn enough from Ranko's and my modeling sessions. My friends are off limits."_

_"Done." Damn it, Nabiki thought, there goes more cash._

_"Finally, I want you to promise on the Tendo name that you will uphold these terms. Understood?"_

_Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Fine. I, Tendo Nabiki, swear on my family's honor and my own that I will follow these terms of agreement. Happy?"_

_Ranma nodded in satisfaction. "Yeah, that should do it. I really appreciate this, Nabiki. After all, you know I never had that many friends. Heck, maybe Mawata and Himeno will like ya once they get ta know ya." He then left to go to the guest room._

_"Friends, huh?" Nabiki then walked into her room to retire for the night._

The bell for lunch rang, snapping Nabiki out of her reminiscence. She was surprised that she had spent the whole period thinking back on that promise. She grabbed her book bag and the two bentos Kasumi gave her when the older girl realized that Ranma had forgotten his. As she exited the room, she was swamped by a mass of people asking questions about Ranma's new personality.

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Nabiki finally managed to break away from the crowds begging for information. She spotted Ranma—or rather Ranko—sitting at the base of a tree with Sasame and some other guy dressed mostly in red and brown.

"Ranko! You forgot your bento." Nabiki handed the decorative lunch box to the red haired girl. Nabiki noticed that she had taken out her trademark pigtail.

"Thanks, I can't believe I forgot it!" Ranko then opened it up.

**_"I can't believe we forgot it either! Hurry up and eat! I'm starving too ya know!"_**

**_'Shut up, I'm eating.'_** Ranko sent back as she dug into the delicious meal prepared by the eldest Tendo sister. She did remember to use table manners, unlike a certain brother of hers.

Sasame and Go eyed the bento incredulously. "You can't possibly eat all of that. It's physically impossible!" Sasame stated.

Nabiki shrugged. "I'm assuming you know of her curse, right?" Nods from the two knights. "She has two bodies to maintain, therefore more food. I'm Tendo Nabiki by the way, I'm in your class—Sasame, ne?"

****"That's correct. You were the one spacing out in the second row, right?"

A slight blush spread across her cheeks. "I was trying to balance the books for the dojo.

"Hey, Ranko, when're we gonna meet this worthless father of yours?" Go asked.

Ranko swallowed her food and waved it off. "No need, he's been getting tortured by Mom ever since she found out what really happened on the training trip."

"Okay, so when're we gonna meet your brother?"

Nabiki quickly cut off whatever reply Ranko was going to give. "He goes to another school ever since our parents switched Akane's engagement to Ranma over to me. He had enough problems with the teachers getting on his case for sleeping in class that he's now going to Sakurayabashi High in the Kento ward."

Sasame raised an eyebrow. "That's a pretty long distance."

Ranko shrugged. "He's fast, especially when roof hopping so he gets there on time. There's also no rivals for him to fight over there, so he gets some peace and quiet."

"Ranko-chan, isn't today when we normally go to the ice cream parlor?" Nabiki asked innocently. She had caught the glances Ranko had been sneaking at Sasame as she ate. Nabiki was exceptionally good at observation and could tell that Ranko was crushing on Bouchoudo Sasame.

The redheaded martial artist's eyes lit up, though there was a tinge of confusion. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, why don't we all go there after school? We can get to know our new classmates better and show them around Nerima."

The Leafe users pondered for a while. "Sure, why not?" "I'm okay with it." "Sounds good to me."

Nabiki smirked, stage one of Operation: Get Ranko and Sasame Together was set. "Great, treat's on me."

Ranko was officially suspicious at this point. But before she could voice her accusations, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. The four parted way, Sasame and Nabiki heading back to their homeroom while Go and Ranko went back to theirs.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

SSD: Finito! Done with this chapter finally! I bet you all are happy to see this out at last. I am over 3000 hits to the story! You love me, you really love me! I'm only 15 reviews away from being a Category 4 Authoress, my powers of influence over the characters will be boosted tenfold!

Krad: That, is a scary thought.

SSD: (glares at Krad) Shut up you! Just because I put you on my "Hottest guys" list does NOT mean I will allow you to slander me! Besides, you are in MY employ.

Krad: Great, guess I can't hunt Dark for a while now.

Kenshin: It is not wise to anger an authoress on the verge of promotion, that it is not.

Kurama: Yoko's already afraid of her, and he doesn't fear anything. I think he's finally thinking with the correct head.

Ranma: You have no idea how crazy she can get. Trust me, I know her insanity.

SSD: (seething) If you all are done with insulting me, can you please—

Miroku: (groping SSD)

SSD: (twitch) HENTAI! (pulls a Hiraikotsu from nowhere and bashes Miroku) Good grief, not even the last flirt was this perverted! Anyway, onto the Review Responses. But before that, poll results.

Poll:

Ranma/Ranko split

Yes: 9 No:7

Split Pairing

Ranma/Nabiki: 0 Ranko/Sasame: 2 Both: 3

Side Pairings

Mawata/Ryouga: 0

Akane/Go: 0

Akane/Ryouga: 0

Mawata/Mousse: 0

Shampoo/Mousse: 0

Shampoo/Go: 0

Nodoka/Kei: 0

Mawata/Kei: 0

Akane/Mannen: 0

SSD: Come on guys, I really need input for these pairings! Please send in your votes, you are allowed to vote multiple times. Only once per couple, though.

**Review Responses:**

**TitanXR:** Thanks for your support of my story! I think you should have gotten an e-mail with the basic summary of Pretear to answer your questions.

**ranma girl 14: ** Thanks for your enthusiastic response. I try to make people interested in my stories.

**Mega Shadow: **Congratulations, you're my most frequent reviewer so far for this story! If only there were others like you.

**AshK:** How am I going to separate Ranma and Ranko? Well that…is a secret (wink). Don't worry though, I have a perfectly plausible way to separate them. It won't happen for another dozen chapter, though. And no, I'm not going to use a potion. As for the Kunos, (smirks evilly) lets just say that they will learn not to mess with a Pretear and her brother who have friends in high places.

**Dumbledork: **Congratulations! You also get a reward for being a frequent reviewer! Here's a Ranko plushie.

**RubberNeck: **I can understand your concern about Ranma's personality. Be assured though that I will try to keep HIS personality close to canon with Ranko helping him mature along the way. Ranko is actually a more polite—sorry, wrong word—considerate version of Ranma. This means that she will have a similar attitude to him, but have manners and a better speech pattern.

**Jerry Unipeg:** I agree, true friendships are hard to find. That is why I'm trying to have Ranma resolve his differences with his rivals and the tangled web of fiancés that Genma spun for him.

**Cylon One:** Oops. Thanks for pointing out those bloopers to me. I'll make sure I fix those right away.

**Slade13:** Yep, I didn't go the way of the pool. I must congratulate myself on creating a logical and scientific way that Ranma and Ranko can co-exist in the same body. Dare I say it? I think I am the only one to ever use this path to separation! If any of you other readers don't believe me about Chimera, look it up. Here:

chimera, definition 4: an organism composed of two or more genetically distinct tissues, as an organism that is partly male and partly female, or an artificially produced individual having tissues of several species.

Kurama: Oh, that is very interesting. Are you studying to be a doctor?

SSD: Actually, I am. Anatomy is one of my better subjects. Oh! Look at the time! We have to go bye!

Security: Ja!


	6. When It Rains, It Pours

SSD: Thank you all so much! I have 1, I repeat 1 review to go before I'm promoted to a Category 4 authoress!

Krad: Please, no! Don't review her Do—! (chokes)

Kurama: Krad, you cannot forbid others from reviewing SSD if they want to. (recalls thornless rose whip)

Kenshin: (nods) This one agrees with Kurama-san, that I do.

Miroku: It is not very polite to sabotage a lady.

SSD: (sweat drop) Am I the only one here that finds their agreement to be a bit creepy?

Ranko: (drops the Umisen-ken) I think it's creepy also.

SSD: (jumps) What are you doing here, Ranko?

Ranko: Hmm? Oh, I'm the main star in this chapter right? I mean, I do have a date with that hottie, Sasame.

Sasame: (teleported in just after that statement) (blushes) Wh-what date?

Ranko: You know, at the ice cream parlor! Nabiki set it up. (latches on to Sasame's arm)

Miroku: (takes Ranko's hand) Beautiful lady, will you do the honor of bearing my child? (takes the opportunity to grope her)

Ranko: (punches Miroku) HENTAI! I love Sasame, you jerk!

Miroku: (rubs sore cheek) It was worth the pain.

Sasame: (is in full knight regale) Do not touch my girl! SONIC ARROW!

Miroku: (is blown back into the wall)

SSD: (sweat drop) He never learns. Umm, can someone—(freezes up and eyes turn to a violet color)

Kurama: Umm, SSD, are you alright?

SSD: (eyes are still violet) Oh, Kurama, I'm perfectly fine. (snuggles up to a shocked Kurama)

Everyone: 0.0

Kurama: Someone, help! A crazy authoress is molesting me!

SSD: (eyes are flickering from violet to blue) No…must…regain control! (eyes turn blue again) (notices she is hugging Kurama) OMG! I am SO sorry, Kurama! I lost control of Ryoko there when you were close.

Everyone: Ryoko?

SSD: Yeah, didn't you guys know? I have a kitsune spirit inside me known as Ryoko Kage. With my conscience, Tenshi, dead, it's hard to keep her in check.

Everyone: OH!

Ranko: I think we should cut to the disclaimer and start the story.

Disclaimer: SilverSerpentDragon does NOT own Ranma ½ or Pretear or any of the other characters that may or have already appeared.

"Blah" normal talking

_blah _individual thoughts

"_**Blah" Ranma to Ranko**_

'_**Blah' Ranko to Ranma**_

"_blah" Leafe Knight to Pretear_

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Chapter 5: When It Rains, It Pours

Sasame tuned the monotonous lecture of the teacher and stared out the window into the courtyard. He already knew this math and had no need to relearn it. _Why am I doing this if I don't need need to?_ The Sound Knight mentally sighed._ We never anticipated there being two Pretears, two Princesses of Life. We have never had the need to split our forces. Maybe now that Takako—no, Fenril knows of Ranko's existence, she will send demon larva here as well. (sigh) Which brings me to another topic, why am I feeling so protective of Ranko? I never felt this way, even for Takako before she became a Princess of Disaster. _

Nabiki observed the new student who was her fiancé's friend, even if the guy wasn't aware that Ranko and Ranma shared the same body. He was quiet and not even paying attention to the lesson. _Hmph! And he says that I space out? What a hypocrite._ The mercenary girl also began to wonder why Ranko was so familiar with him and that Go character. Now that she thought about it, the two were in flanking positions when the four of them ate lunch together. _What are you three hiding? Why would they try to protect you, Ranko, if they don't know you that well?_ The middle Tendo daughter had questions, and Ranko was going to be the one to answer them.

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"Hey, Ranko, how do you feel about the whole Pretear business?" Go asked as he and Ranko walked to the lockers to fetch their things before meeting up with Nabiki.

Ranko frowned in thought as she put on her normal Chinese slippers. "I don't know. I mean, it's a martial artist's duty to protect the innocent and a Pretear does the same thing through different methods. I guess that as long as I'm protecting people, I'm happy with that."

Go's cinnamon eyes glittered in satisfaction. "Better answer than what Takako gave, and she was the Pretear with the greatest potential so far!"

Ranko shut her locker and looked up at Go. "Wait a minute, wasn't Takako the person you guys were fighting when we first met?" Go nodded an affirmative. "What happened to cause her aura to become so…tarnished?"

An unreadable expression shadowed Go's normally cheerful face. "I don't know. The only ones who would know the answer to your question would be Hayate, Takako, and Sasame. Now, how 'bout we go get some ice cream?" His cheery personality returned with an enthusiastic vengeance.

"ALRIGHT!" _Besides, I need to know what Nabiki is plotting. I know that she wouldn't treat anybody unless she had an ulterior motive. _They exited the school and began walking towards the front gate where they could see Sasame and Nabiki waiting for them.

_**"How the heck should I know?"**_

_**'Ranma, she's YOUR fiancé. You should get to know her better. Maybe take her out on a date this weekend.'**_

_**"And risk the Fiancé Brigade finding out and put a non-combatant in danger? HELL NO!"**_

_**'So you admit you have feelings for her?'**_

_**"I-I-I…That is…I mean…It's none of your business!"**_

_**'Someone's a bit defensive.'**_

_**"Shut up! Besides, we're here. Uh-oh, Kuno four o'clock!"**_

Ranko snapped her head in said direction where, unfortunately, Kuno was indeed approaching. "Let's book it! I do NOT want to listen to one of HIS rants."

The redheaded martial artist sprinted for the front gate. She grabbed Nabiki's and Sasame's hands and high tailed it out of Furinkan.

"What the hell are you doing, Ranko!" Nabiki shrieked.

"Getting as far away from Kuno A.F.A.P!"

Nabiki looked behind them and indeed Kuno was chasing them. Albeit, he was farther behind and slowly becoming a dot in the distance. "I think we've lost him, Ranko-chan, you can slow down now."

Ranko came to a skidding stop and took in the bedraggled appearance of her crush and brother's fiancé. Sasame's hair was tousled even more than normal, his silver hair was also knotted in some places. Nabiki's hair looked like a bad imitation of Akane's. Both of their clothes were rumpled.

"Oops."

"Now, we have to wait for Go to catch up," Sasame said as he ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to smooth it.

Nabiki pulled out a 1000 yen bill from her purse and handed it to Sasame. "Here, you two go on ahead and get something. I'll wait for Go and then we'll join you."

Ranko eyed Nabiki with suspicion as Sasame accepted the money reluctantly. **_'Now I know she's trying to set me and Sasame up.'_**

_**"How could she! She knows I'm a guy!"**_

_**'Ranma no baka! She knows that YOU are a guy. I, however, am a full blooded female who is on the prowl for Sasame. Hmm, I gotta thank her when we get back home.'**_

_**"No-o-o, we are getting some hot water and then I am giving my fiancé a tongue lashing!"**_

_**'Whoo, already going to the next step?'**_

_**"NOT LIKE THAT, RANKO NO HENTAI!"**_

In the outside world, Ranko clutched her head in pain as Ranma's yells reverberated through her skull. Sasame took notice of this and looked at her in concern. "Are you alright, Ranko?"

The redhead looked up and smiled slightly. "I'm fine. Ranma and me were just having a bit of an argument. Psychic twin connection, you know?"

Sasame accepted that answer. "So, what flavor do you want?"

"Huh?" Ranko then noticed that they were at the counter. "Oh! Uh, cookies 'n cream, please. (A/N: I LOVE that flavor.)" she said to the guy behind the counter.

"I'll have a chocolate and vanilla swirl."

The two received their ice cream and took a seat at a booth. Ranko happily dug into her bowl of the tasty dessert as Sasame calmly ate a spoonful of his. They sat in silence as they waited for their friends. Then, just as Ranko was going to take another bite of her ice cream, she dropped the spoon and clutched her stomach.

"Wha-what? Why do I feel so sick?"

"Ranko? Are you alright?" Sasame asked, his eyes were full of concern. _This is just like when Himeno sensed her first demon larva. Could it be, that our suspicions of Ta—Fenril's movements were correct? _"This happened to Himeno before, it means there is a demon larva nearby."

"Saotome! For taking my lovely Shampoo, DIE!" A male voice called out and lashed out with sharpened chains, missing by a few feet.

Black rose petals floated into the shop and Ranko growled in irritation. "Ohohohoho! So, the Red Harlot shows herself! I will defeat you and free my darling Ranma-sama! Ohohohoho!" Kodachi Kuno had made herself known, it couldn't possibly get any worse.

"Pigtailed girl! I come to free you!"

RING! RING! "Airen take Shampoo on date yes?"

"Ranchan, I brought you some new okonomiyaki I want you to try."

Ranko was currently banging her head on the table. "Not…happening…go away."

Then the demon larva, one constructed out of metal, chose to make its appearance. Leafe started to be drained from everyone and everything around it. The NWC and the other civilians collapsed from the drain, leaving Ranko and Sasame the only ones standing. Go arrived only thirty seconds later.

"Ranko, prêt with me." Sasame requested as he held out his hand.

Ranko placed her hand in his and the were surrounded by white light as time slowed once more. Her hair floated around her from the energy being emitted by each of the participants in the prêt. Ranko blushed as she noticed that both her and Sasame were nude. Luckily, the white glow blocked out the "private" areas of their bodies. She felt Sasame pull her closer to him before he turned into a purple orb of Leafe. Dozens of purple darts of energy coursed down her arms and body. In a burst of purple and white light, Ranko became the Pretear of sound once more.

Her costume was much different than the one she wore as the Water Pretear. Instead of a tiara, she wore a gold headband that resembled headphones with a blue gem over the part of gold that covered her ears. Her dress was mostly white in color. The bodice was edged in lilac, an upside down V going over each breast. The white cover dress split into four leaf like divisions going over the purple skirt that puffed out underneath it. The dress had puffy pink short sleeved that were bound to her arms by a purple band. She wore white gloves that were trimmed in pink with a red gem on the backs of her hands. She also had white knee stockings trimmed in lilac with a fringe of pink and little red puff balls on the outer sides of them. She wore a lilac choker with two red puff balls on it. Her outfit ended with a pair of lilac 1" heels.

Ranko dodged one of the metal spikesthe demon larvathrew at her, but she was hit by the second one. At least, she would've been had Sasame not made a shield. Ranko heard him gasp in pain and she quickly moved away from the deadly weapon.

"You alright, Sasame?"

_"I'm fine, don't worry about it. Just find the core."_

"Right."

Ranko found the core quicker this time now that she had an idea of what to look for. She molded her and Sasame's combined Leafe into the Bow of Sound and took aim. "SONIC ARROW!"

Sasame unpreted with Ranko, he was holding his right side and there was blood leaking through his white uniform. He dropped his transformation as he fell to his knees in pain.

Ranko's eyes widened in concern. "Sasame, you're hurt! But how—?"

"When a Pretear and Knight merge, the Knight uses his energy as either a weapon to attack or a shield to protect the Pretear. It's just the way it is." Go said in answer to her unfinished question.

"You mean, Sasame got hurt because I wasn't fast enough to dodge that other spike?"

"I do not blame you, Ranko. You are still new to this after all," Sasame spoke as he got to his feet.

"But, I'm a martial artist, I should have been able to dodge!"

"And you did, the first time. There was no way you could have anticipated that second strike. It is not your fault."

Ranko smiled slightly and looked back at the booth. A vein throbbed in her head angrily. "That stupid demon larva! I didn't get to finish my ice cream and now it's all melted! CURSE YOU, DEMON LARVA!"

The two knights laughed at Ranko's misfortune of her ice cream, but Sasame's was cut off abruptly by a wave of pain from his side. The newest Pretear saw this and rushed to his side.

"We should have Doctor Tofu look at your wound, it looks pretty serious."

**_"Understatement of the century, imouto-chan. He's bleedin' all over!"_**

_**'I can see that Ranma! What you don't see is that his abundance of Leafe is healing his injury at an accelerated rate.'**_

_**"…How come you can see that, but I can't?"**_

_**'It probably has something to do with me being a Pretear. Now shut up, I have to get him over to the Doc's."**_

Ranko cut off her connection to Ranma and wrapped her arm around his uninjured side and started to drag him towards Dr. Tofu's. They reached the clinic fifteen minutes later, Sasame's wound appeared to be only a mild cut by then. Too bad that the original pain did not fade as fast as the wound, so Sasame was still in a world of hurt.

"Hey, doc! I have a patient for you!"

The glasses wearing chiropractor walked out of his office at Ranko's call. "Oh, Ranma, what happened?" Tofu asked as he led the two to an examination table. He also helped Sasame remove his shirt so that the good doctor could get a better look at the injury. "Did you happen to get caught in the middle of one of Ranma's fights?" He asked the injured knight.

Ranko beat Sasame to the punch line and answered for him. "Yeah, Doc, he did. I really hate it when everyone mistakes my for Ranma's cursed form."

"Does (hiss) Does Ranko really look that much like her brother?" Sasame hissed in pain as Tofu prodded a few minor pressure points around the wound and proceeded to bandage it.

Tofu gave Ranko a look that expressly stated, "I demand answers once I'm done with this." "Very much so, they are twins." He finished his work and handed Sasame back his shirt.

"Ah. I have yet to meet Ranko's brother, so I am ignorant of their similarities. Thank you for your help, Dr.Tofu."

Tofu waved it off. "It was no problem at all. Now, if you don't mind, I have to have a talk with…Ranko."

Sasame nodded in understanding and said good bye to Ranko before exiting the clinic.

" Now, 'Ranko', care to tell me why you are passing yourself off as your own twin?"

"It's like this, Doc…"

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"And now I have two separate personalities. Umm, Doc? Dr. Tofu?" Ranko waved a hand in the comatose doctor's face.

Tofu shook himself out of his trance. "Do you know how rare a case you are, Ranko? There has NEVER in medical history been a situation like this! Siamese twins do not even come CLOSE to comparing to your situation! Brother and sister sharing one body and switching control, it's a medical goldmine!"

Ranko—and inside her head, Ranma—sweat dropped at the normally calm doctor's giddiness. She scooted away and then bolted out the door. She reached the Tendo dojo in record time and was confronted by a frantic Nodoka.

"Where were you? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Ranko tilted her head in confusion. "About seven, why?"

"Where is Nabiki?" Akane demanded as she came out from the dining room. "What did you do with her, you pervert!"

"Akane, how many times do I have to tell you? I am Ranko, a sixteen year old girl who has a twin brother named Ranma who just so happens to share the same body as me. Now, I would appreciate it if you would stop calling me A PERVERT!" Ranko then turned to her mother. "What's this about Nabiki not coming back yet?"

"She never came back from school."

_Shit! She must not have recovered from the Leafe drain! We gotta go back and get her._

_**"Change back into me first. She's my fiancé so she's my responsibility."**_

_**'Gotcha. Lover boy.'**_

_**"HE—!"**_

Ranko cut him off and accepted the kettle from Kasumi. She dumped the hot water over her head and shifted back into Ranma. He then gave the empty kettle back to Kasumi and ran out of the house. He roof hopped over to the ice cream parlor where Ranko and the others were attacked earlier that day. Upon reaching there, Ranma had to repress the urge to snarl.

An unconscious Nabiki was surrounded by a bunch of punks, about 14, presumably people who owed her money. The obvious leader of the group was a guy with bright purple, spiked hair (obviously dyed). He wore a black leather jacket and worn jeans. A fishnet black shirt was visible under his jacket. He wore black worker's boots and a thick chain accessory completed his punk look. Some of the others were various bad apples that Ranma recognized from school.

"Well, well, look what we have here. A mercenary whose clients have come to repay her in fists. I think we should have a bit of fun before we mess her up. What do you boys think?" At the approving shouts of the others, the so called leader started to fondle Nabiki.

Ranma jumped down from his perch. "Get away from her!" His grey eyes were a bonfire of fury. _No one threatens my friends, especially if that "friend" happens to be my fiancé!_

The ones from Furinkan recognized Ranma and took off running. Too bad that the others didn't take their cue from the guys who ran. The purple haired guy looked up and glared at Ranma. "And who are you to say what I can't do? Do you know who I am? I am Saito and this is MY territory. You do not order me on my own turf." He continued to fondle Nabiki's prone form.

Ranma embraced the Soul of Ice so that he would not be tempted to rip the guy limb from limb. "I'm Saotome Ranma, heir to the Musabetsu Kakuto Saotome Ryu. Nabiki is my fiancé, and I suggest you set her down and leave or I will not be held responsible for the consequences."

Nabiki chose that moment to wake up and found herself looking at Ranma from a pair of unfamiliar masculine arms. She struggled once it registered what the hands of those arms were doing to her body.

"Is that a challenge?" Saito sneered.

"It is. Now let. My. Fiancé. Go." A steel grey—not the normal blue or gold of his confidence—corona of energy could be seen forming around him.

Saito threw Nabiki at his little gang. "Keep her still, I get first go once I finish this." The purple haired gang leader shrugged of his jacket and threw it to the side. A blazing aura of dark purple coalesced around him. "You aren't the only one who can summon a battle aura! I, Kuraimono Saito of the Kuraimono Kuragariryuu Ryu, accept your challenge."

The two combatants circled each other in the street. Saito made the first move and lunged at Ranma. The Chimera blocked the punch-kick combo and launched his own assault.

"KACHUU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"

Saito flew back into the wall from the force of the punches. He stood up and spit out some blood. He wiped away the remnants on his lips and smirked. "So, you know ki attacks? Good, let's up the ante. FIST OF DARKNESS FLAME!"

Ranma was caught off guard by the attack, but a 3' circular sheet of metal suddenly appeared in front him as a shield when he raised an arm to block. "What the?" Ranma had no time to investigate the sudden shield as he was soon busy dodging attacks. He began to grow angrier as he heard Nabiki's indignant shouts of "Hentai!". He abandoned the Soul of Ice and let his power shine through.

"You don't know who you're messin' with, pal. I am a God-slayer and you will not beat me!" He gathered his energy to form a weapon of his own, a pair of semi-circle silver fan-like blades. Steel grey energy flowed around them to form a complete circle. "METALLIC SCYTHE!" With that, he threw both fan blades at his opponent.

Saito tried to dodge, but it seemed as if they were following him. One sliced him across his chest, the other made an identical slash on his back. The purple haired gangster fell to the ground, bleeding and in pain.

"Impossible, I cannot lose." He summoned the last of his energy even as Ranma retrieved Nabiki from the frightened followers of Saito. "KURAIMONO KURAGARIRYUU RYU FINAL MOVE: DARKNESS DRAGON SUMMON!"

Ranma's head whipped around as the aura Saito had summoned for his last move exploded out into a pillar of dark energy. From the pillar a pitch black creature more terrible than even Saffron emerged. The Darkness Dragon had been summoned into the world once more after 11,000 years. The Dragon once owned by the Darkness Dragoon Rose, took to the skies to evaluate the changes to the world. Nerima was going to be in for some dark times soon, dark times indeed.

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SSD: Finished! Also if some of you experienced video gamers noticed while reading, yes I did include the Legend of Dragoon. Not my fault, it just slipped in when I was thinking up a martial arts school for Saito to practice. He isn't dead, but I do have further use of him in later chapters.

Ranko: Ranma and I have to fight an actual DRAGON!

Sasame: SSD, I think this is going a little too far.

(nods of agreement from the others)

SSD: I had to add something to the story. I couldn't think of anything so I thought, "Why not dragons?"

Kurama: Dragons may be a little much for the modern world. (places hand on SSD's shoulder)

SSD: (eyes turn violet, grows black kitsune ears on top of head, hair turns dark purple, grows a black fox tail)

Ryoko: Why, Kura-kun, I don't think that at all. What do you have against dragons? (leans into Kurama)

Kurama: Nu-Nothing! Can you turn back into SSD, please?

Ryoko: (pouts) Alright, anything for you, Kura-kun. (eyes turn blue and kitsune attributes vanish)

SSD: Damn it, Ryoko! Stop taking over whenever Kurama touches me! Ahem, anyway, poll results then Reviewers Responses!

**Poll Results:**

Mawata/Ryouga: 1

Akane/Go: 0

Akane/Ryouga: 0

Mawata/Mousse: 1

Shampoo/Mousse: 2

Shampoo/Go: 0

Nodoka/Kei: 2

Mawata/Kei: 1

Akane/Mannen: 0

Don't forget to send in those votes for couples too! But remember, only those that are on this list. If you wish to request a couple on this list, I will do so.

**Reviewers Responses:**

**TitanXR: **Wow! I actually have a fan! Guess this means I have to start a fan club. I leave you in charge of that, TitanXR, hope you're up to the task. :)

**DarkYaoiFox: **Ryouga's one of my favorites too. so, I'm only going to bash him a little bit as payback for his previous treatment of Ranma/Ranko. I appreciate your votes too!

**Slade13:** I realize that Akane is out of character, but this is just her reaction to a situation she wasn't ready for. She will be more docile and grow more mature as the story goes on, though.

**Cylon One: **Yeah, I'm aware of those mistakes now, thanks for pointing them out. If you look back, you should find a revised chapter.

**damento: **Do you have Cerebro in your house? Are you some kind of Charles Xavier? Because I swear that my original idea was just that! Mutants are among us and one of them has read my mind! (Ryoko: Shut up, idiot! I can't sleep with your yapping. SSD: Sorry)

**Maric: **I'm kinda planning on that, but it's the will of the people, you know? Maybe if I get enough votes on it. Until then, I'll try to set it up for all possible pairings.

**Taiki:** Thank you, but the splitting poll is over now. Split up won by five votes I think. Anyway, I think maybe you should also research "Legend of Dragoon" as well since it's gonna play a big part in the story now. That is, if you don't know about the game.

**Dumbledork:** -.-() I can't decide the pairings because I don't know what I'm gonna do. That's why I have the poll set up.

**Howard Russell:** Actually, Akane isn't the spoiled brat in this one. As much as I hate her, last chapter was probably the meanest I was going to be to her. Also, I wouldn't pair my worst enemy with ANY of the Kunos, their not just loony, they're nutzoids! Also, no one, I repeat NO ONE deserves to be a "pet" of Azusa's! It's sick and wrong, man!

**goku90504:** (takes a deep breath) Okay, this is where I explain my reasons behind Akane's actions. First of all, she can't handle the fact that Ranma isn't her fiancé anymore as she equals Fiancé Ranma with Protector Ranma. To her, if Ranma isn't her fiancé, she's a sitting duck—pardon the phrase, Mousse. Also, she just found out that Ranma isn't really a pervert thus breaking her "all boys are perverts" mentality. As to her boasting that she's the greatest martial artist in Nerima, that's Akane trying to convince herself that she doesn't always need Ranma to protect her because she is a martial artist as well. Also the who outburst of Ranma wanting to be her fiancé again by the end of the week is her way of saying "I love you, please come back to me." As much as I hate her, I am not a cruel person. That make sense to you guys?

**RubberNeck: **That's alright if you don't have something special to say for the chapter. Your reviews are enough for me.

**Jerry Unipeg:** Patience, young one. Ranma and Ranko will be split eventually, just not now. Oo! I just got a new idea on how to split them! Damn my mind.

**Mega Shadow:** Actually, I was thinking of just having Ranma crush on Mawata, but then it turns out as a brother/sister relationship.

SSD: That is all for this chapter! Kami, I can't believe I've integrated ANOTHER series with this idea, even if it is a video game!

Kenshin: This one thinks we should end this and get Miroku-sama help, that we should.

Kurama: (examines the unconscious monk) Kenshin is right, Miroku is in no shape to be a security guard now.

Krad: (sighs in relief) At least now I won't have to deal with another Dark.

(Dark walks in healed)

Dark: Hey, guys! I'm—WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE? (points at Krad)

Krad: (snarls) Dark, we meet again. Prepare to die! (lunges)

Dark: You first!

(start fighting and trash the studio)

SSD: Uh oh, I better stop them. See all you readers later! HEY, DON'T YOU DARE—! NOT THE PS2! DARK! KRAD!

Ja ne!

**Author Class System (ACS)**

**Category 5, Class 5:** Just started writing, less than 10 review for one story. **Class 4:**11-20 Reviews **Class 3:**21-30 reviews **Class 2:**31-40 reviews **Class 1:**41-50 reviews

**Category 4, Class 5: **Better than a Category 5 Author,51-60 reviews **Class 4:** 61-70 reviews **Class 3:** 71-80 reviews **Class 2: **81-90 reviews **Class 1:** 91-100 reviews

**Category 3, Class 5:** Average write, very popular, 101-110 reviews **Class 4: **111-120 reviews **Class 3: **121-130 reviews **Class 2:** 131-140 reviews **Class 1: **141-150 reviews

**Category 2, Class 5: **better than average writer, 151-160 reviews **Class 4: **161-170 reviews **Class 3:** 171-180 reviews **Class 2:** 181-190 reviews **Class 1:** 191-200 reviews

**Category 1, Class 5: **Has the talent to possibly write a best seller, 201-210 reviews **Class 4: **211-220 reviews **Class 3:**221-230 reviews **Class 2: **231-240 reviews **Class 1: **241-250 reviews

**Category 1, Class Unlimited:** Will most DEFINITELY write a best seller and become one of the literature classic authors one day in the future, 250+ reviews! This is the goal for all authors.


	7. Awaken Dragoons, Knights of the Dragon!

SSD: Konnichiwa, minna-san! You guys have NO idea how hard it is to break up a fight between Dark and Krad. I had to fire them. So now I have their replacements here, Haschel and Lloyd from the Legend of Dragoon video game. Hey guys!

Haschel: Hello, young lady.

Lloyd: I am here why?

SSD: Right, your job is to stop people from breaking into my studio. I have enough trouble as it is stopping fights from breaking out between the security crew and writing this story at the same time. 'Sides, you're both strong fighters, so you won't have any problems fitting in. This is Kurama and Kenshin, your co-workers.

Kurama & Kenshin: Hello.

SSD: Anyway, could you two give a bit of background on the history of Dragoons?

Lloyd: (shrugs) I don't see why not. Dragoons are also known as the Dragon Knights, humans, winglies, or Gigantos with the powers of dragons. They are also the "rulers of dragons". There are 8 elements; Fire and Water, Wind and Earth, and Light and Dark are opposing pairs and are simultaneously weak and strong against the other. Thunder and Divine have no opposites.

SSD: I'm also going to add two more Dragoons, if you guys couldn't tell from the updated prologue. Also, I gave a major hint last chapter that Saito was going to be the Darkness Dragoon. I have all the identities of the Dragoons figured out, plus Akane's pairing, since it seems that none of you want her paired with anybody.

Saito: Yo! Why do I have to be a good guy? I am not a wimp!

Haschel: Humph. To think that Rose was your ancestor.

Saito: (growls) What's that supposed to mean?

Haschel: Just what I said, boy. She would be very disappointed in you were she here.

SSD: Saito, just where did you come from?

Saito: Snuck in through the back. You have very poor security.

SSD: I know that, but I am POOR! I can't afford better security.

Security: What is that supposed to mean!

SSD: (shifts eyes) Oh, would you look at that! I have a chapter write, tootles!

Disclaimer: SilverSerpentDragon does NOT own Legend of Dragoon, Pretear, or Ranma ½, they belong to Sony, Junichi Satou, and Rumiko Takahashi.

"Blah" normal talking

_blah _individual thoughts

"_blah" _Leafe Knight to Pretear

"_**blah" Ranma to Ranko**_

'_**blah' Ranko to Ranma**_

**blah** Dragoon spirits to Dragoon

**_blah_** Secondary Dragoon spirit to Dragoon spirit and/or Dragoon

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Chapter 6: Awaken, Dragoons, Knights of the Dragons!

Saito dragged his battered body home to where he could see his grandfather waiting by the front gate. Disappointment shone in the old man's wizened eyes. He had shrunk with age and stood at barely five feet. Kuraimono-jii-san held a gnarled staff in his hands. He promptly rapped his injured grandson on the head with said staff when the impudent boy was close enough.

"I thought I taught you better! That technique is to NEVER be used lest you unleash the evil the Dragons guarded."

"But, jii-chan—!" Saito protested. Yes, the tough gangster was brought to his knees by his own, old grandfather.

"No, buts, young man! You caused this mess, now you have to take up the mantle of Dragoon to clean it up."

Saito froze in shock. If there was ANYTHING he didn't want, it was to take up the title of Dragoon. Being a Dragoon meant no freedom, putting yourself at risk for others. Saito was anything but that kind of person. "Jii-chan, you can't mean to—"

The purple haired chased after his grandfather, despite his injuries, who had gone into the dojo complex. Saito reached the Grandmaster of the Kuraimono Ryu as the old man pulled out a dust covered, dark purple chest. He opened it and turned around to face his only grandson and heir.

"The Kuraimono family has guarded the secrets of the Darkness Dragon for close to 11,000 years. Now that you have unleashed the Darkness Dragon, you must accept the mantle of Darkness Dragoon and reign in the beast you have set loose."

Saito eyed the gleaming black stone in the padded case. It was small, about the size of a marble, resembled a reptilian eye, and was attached to a silver chain. He hesitantly reached for the stone under the stern gaze of his grandfather. Once he closed his fist around the Dragoon spirit, Saito felt an immense pain shoot up his arm and spread through his entire body. He screamed as the pain became too much. The stone began to glow a dark purple light. Saito collapsed to the ground panting as the last vestiges of pain bled away.

"The pain you felt was your predecessor's displeasure with your recklessness. Now, go and seek out the other Dragoons and teach them how to harness their powers as I have taught you."

Saito nodded wearily and shakily stood up. "How will I find them, jii-chan?"

"The dragoon spirits will resonate when brought together. The spirits will seek out their chosen Knights as the Darkness Dragon chose our family."

"Then why didn't you take it instead?"

"I am not the one who released the Darkness Dragon and broke the seal. Besides, I am far too old."

"I…I understand, jii-chan. I will do my best." Saito said in a subdued voice.

"Go, my doors will not be open to you until you correct your mistake. You will find your weapon by the front gate."

As Saito left, a tear slid down the old man's face. "I wish I did not have to do this, Saito. Rose, watch over him, grandmother."

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Saito trudged down the street, a rapier strapped to his side. He was very docile now that Rose, his predecessor, had given him quite a lecture about his treatment of women during that two minute torture session.

**It is your own fault for your ways.** Rose spoke from within the dragoon spirit.

"Yes, but did you have to flare every pain sensor in my body?"

**Yes, I did. It was the only way you would possibly listen to me. You really are an idiot, we dragoons sealed our dragons' power as a way to seal away the Virage. You have been told this countless times by Seisho.**

"Yeah, yeah. But I thought they were fairytales. How was I supposed to know that a seal like that actually existed? Owww, my body."

**…I cannot say. Only that you should have listened to your grandfather's warnings. Don't worry about the pain. Should we find the White Silver Dragoon, she—or he—will be able to heal you. Or the Blue Sea Dragoon will.**

"Whatever. So, if I were a dragoon, where would I be?"

**You are a dragoon, idiot.** Rose snorted. _Why do have to have an idiot for a descendent?_

Saito ignored her and continued his mindless walk. _First, I gotta find a place to stay since jii-chan kicked me out until I can fix this mess I've caused. _He was just walking past a restaurant of sorts when his dragoon spirit, hanging on his neck, started to radiate a dark light.

**A dragoon must be nearby.**

"I can see that with the way this thing's glowing. But where?"

As if in answer to his question, a bright blue light shined through the window of the okonomiyaki shop Saito had stopped in front of.

**Well, this is certainly déjà vu. **

"Too much of a coincidence. No way that there could be another dragoon in this city, let alone this close to where I live."

**Dragoon spirits draw each other. Go investigate, that looked like it was the Blue Sea Dragoon.**

"Right." Saito walked up to the restaurant door and knocked at Rose's insistence that he use manners.

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_"Father? This is Ukyo, your daughter." The okonomiyaki chef spoke into the phone's receiver. _

_"Ukyo, how good to hear you! Have you had any luck on killing that Saotome boy or marrying him?"_

_"About that, tou-san, Ranma's mother voided all engagements because she is the Clan Head of Saotome, not Genma. She also said that she would repay us the value of the yattai plus interest."_

_"This isn't just about money! This is about honor!"_

_"I can't just kill Ranma, tou-san! I will not murder an innocent girl just to get back my honor!"_

_"…Could you repeat that, Ukyo? I thought you said 'an innocent girl' last I recall Ranma was a boy."_

_"And he is—"_

_"Then I see no problem. You will either marry Ranma, or you will kill him. Simple as that."_

_"No, tou-san, it's not! Ranma has a condition called Chimera. He has his own sister sharing his body, and she has her own personality. I will NOT assassinate Ranko just to get to her brother."_

_"A…Chimera? Ukyo, you can expect to see me within a couple days. It is time that you know our family's origins. Everything about it."_

_"Wha--?" Ukyo started to say, but her father had already hung up._

Ukyo stared at her father who sat across from her. He was in his mid-forties, his dark brown hair showed no signs of graying. His eyes were a deep, entrancing, oceanic blue. On the low table between them was a blue jewel box that was giving off a slight glow.

"Why did you come, tou-san? And why is that box glowing?"

"This, musume, contains the Dragoon Spirit of the Blue Sea Dragoon. Our origins are not human in nature. The reason why children of our line continue to have blue eyes is because of our Wingly heritage." (A/N: I have seen a clip where Ukyo's eyes ARE blue, so don't tell me they aren't!)

"Wingly?"

"Yes, a race now extinct of full bloods. Our family is, to the best of my knowledge, the last in the Wingly line. The Winglies ruled the world over 20,000 years ago under the dictatorship of Melbu Frahma, all other races were oppressed. Then, following Emperor Diaz, the Dragoons liberated the races and overthrew Melbu Frahma. They disappeared into legend after the last battle in the Dragon Campaign. About 11,000 years later, the dragoons reappeared to defeat Melbu Frahma once again; he had tried to become a God this time. One of those new dragoons was our ancestor, Meru. She bore this very stone and partook in the defeat of the God of Destruction." Kuonji-san then opened the lid of the jewel box. Resting within, the size of a large marble, was a glowing blue gem that looked like the eye of a reptile.

Ukyo felt drawn to the stone, like something was calling for her to take it. She reached into the small box and her fingers brushed against it. A bright blue glow bathed the room and the Dragoon Spirit disappeared from the box to reappear on a necklace around Ukyo's neck. The okonomiyaki chef also felt a sharp burning sensation course through her body, concentrated mostly on her back. It lasted for only a few seconds, but they were the most painful ten seconds of her life! She barely had time to notice that her hair had turned a light platinum color with a few light brown streaks.

"Wha—What?"

Ukyo's thought processes were interrupted by a persistent knocking on the door downstairs. She excused herself from her father and went to the first level to see who was coming so late.

Opening the door, she, not even looking, said, "I'm sorry, but we're closed. Come back in the morning."

"You have a dragoon spirit. The Blue Sea Dragoon, am Iright? I'm Kuraimono Saito, the Darkness Dragoon."

Ukyo looked up sharply, her eyes filled with fear. "You—you're the gang leader in this area. Don't damage my store, please!"

"Hold it; I'm a former gang leader since I now have the duty of being a dragoon."

Ukyo's father appeared from the stairwell. "What is this about gang leaders and dragoons?"

Saito bowed to his elder. "I am Kuraimono Saito, ex-gang leader and the Darkness Dragoon. I was walking past when my Dragon Spirit began to glow."

The elder Kuonji rubbed his chin in thought. "So, you are here to teach Ukyo how to harness her dragoon's power? Then I suppose I am not needed here any longer." He began to leave the restaurant, but stopped to say one last thing to his daughter. "Daughter, I relieve you of you duty to kill Saotome Ranma or marry him. You have a new duty and honor as the Blue Sea Dragoon and heir of Meru. In the jewel box you will find a prophesy that has been handed down through our family for generations. We have been unable to translate it, but perhaps with your new abilities, you may unlock the key to understanding the prophesy." With those parting words, Kuonji-san left Ucchan's.

"Are you really here to teach me my powers?" the neo-Sea Dragoon asked her new partner.

"Not really, you should have a spirit guide that will teach you. Umm, do you know a place where I can spend the night? My grandfather kicked me out until I can fix a mess that I made."

"I guess you can stay here and use Konatsu's room while he's still out of town."

"Arigatou."

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"What do you mean 'a dragon appeared out of a shaft of dark Ki'!" Akane shouted at her ex-fiancé in disbelief.

"Just what I said. Nabiki saw it, too. I'm tellin' ya, Akane, there's a dragon loose in Nerima!" Ranma yelled back at the tomboy.

Soun quickly recovered from his crying bout at hearing that his daughter was almost raped by a gang. "A…dragon of darkness?"

Nabiki nodded an affirmative to her father.

"I told Kimiko of this before she died, that our family passed down a legend of the Eight Dragoons. She thought it was not a tale to tell children so we decided to wait until you were old enough. I had almost completely forgotten about it." the Tendo patriarch assumed a story telling position.

"Oh my, Legend of the Eight Dragoons?" Kasumi stated.

"Ahem, over 11,000 years ago there was a great battle to determine the fate of the world. The dragoons, whose names were lost over time, fought and defeated the God of Destruction. It was expected that the Moon that Never Sets, as the body of the God of Destruction, be destroyed as well. But, that was not so. The Virage that escaped during the Moon that Never Sets' reentry to the heavens began to attack the ancient world. The dragoons sealed them away by locking away their own power. Virage and Dragons were a balance, but with the Dragons under the control of the Dragoons, that balance tipped in favor of the Virage's greater magical strength. To stop the Virage attacks, the Dragoons of Fire, Darkness, Water and Ice, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Light and Divine imprisoned not only their dragons, but their souls as well so as to guide the next generation of dragoons should the need for them arise. I fear that this dragon of darkness is none other than one of the eight sealed dragons. If that is true—"

Soun stood and retreated to the master bedroom. He came out holding three boxes; one red, one white, and one silver. "These are the Dragoon Spirits passed down through our family. Akane," the Tendo patriarch handed his youngest the red box. He gave Nabiki the silver and to Kasumi he gave the white. "Should they glow in your hands, the time of dragoons will have returned."

Nabiki opened the box first and picked up the silver crystal. Faintly, in the back of her mind, she could hear the whispers of a male voice.

**Not yet, it isn't time for your dragoon abilities to awaken. You do not have the attributes of the Divine Dragon. Another waits to claim you as their Knight.**

Slightly disappointed, the mercenary girl put the spirit back in its box and handed it back to her father. "I'm not meant to be the Divine Dragoon."

Kasumi curiously lifted the lid of her box and gazed upon the pure white gem inside. She picked it up and felt warmth fill her, but it was quickly stifled. She, too, heard a voice.

**You have great potential as the White Silver Dragoon, but I sense that you are not willing to fight. Another will be guided by me.**

Kasumi repeated the actions of her sister and gave the Dragoon spirit to her father. "I am sorry to disappoint you, tou-san, but I am not to be the White Silver Dragoon."

Akane by this time was feeling disheartened at seeing her sisters being rejected by the Dragoon Spirits. It was most likely that it would reject her as well. Steeling herself for the inevitable rejection, Akane opened the small box and picked up the red jewel that looked like a snake's eye. To her—and everyone else's astonishment—the spirit glowed a bright, warm red. She heard a voice speaking to her in her head.

**So, you're the new dragoon of the Red-Eye Dragon. I am Zieg, the original bearer of this Dragon Spirit. I will be the one to guide you in the use of your powers.**

"I've…been accepted. The Red-Eye Dragon recognizes me as its Knight."

"Congratulations, Akane!" "To think that it would be baby sis…" "Oh my!" "Good job, my daughter."

Akane beamed under the praise she received from her family and ex.

Ranma's gaze shifted over to the white box that contained the White Silver Dragoon spirit.

**_"Why are you so drawn to that stupid stone, Ranko?"_**

_**'I…don't know. I can't explain it, but I feel like I need it to be complete, if only just a bit more. Can you change into me real quick?'**_

_**"Sure, but just for a bit. You got control for most of the day already."**_

Ranma walked into the kitchen and slashed himself with some cold water from the tap. The shift in to Ranko was accompanied by the familiar tingle. The red haired martial artist/Pretear went back into the living room where Akane was still basking in the rays of acknowledgement. She stalked over to the table where the two spirits rested in their containers. Ranko picked up the white one and opened the lid. The calling was stronger now, begging her to just touch it. As soon as her fingers caressed the smooth surface of the small stone, a bright light erupted from it.

**You're the one we were waiting for, Pretear, the Princess of Light determined to fight the forces of Darkness. I am Shana, the second dragoon of the White Silver Dragon.**

**_I am Miranda, the last bearer of the White Silver Dragon Spirit. We've been waiting for you to come to us. Now, wear us proudly around your neck and embrace the powers of the White Silver Dragon!_**

Ranko mindlessly slipped the silver chain that had appeared on the spirit over her head.

Within the depths of their mind, Ranma screamed as his sister was flooded with too much power for their divided body to hold. He could feel his body, resting dormant inside Ranko, being torn to pieces by the strong power.

**_"MAKE IT STOP!"_**

Ranko snapped out of her daze and clutched her head tightly. "No, NO! Stop it, you're killing him! RANMA!" she screamed as she fell to her knees crying.

**_What should we do, Shana? Ranko cannot be the White Silver Dragoon with Ranma in her. _**

**I will use the remnants of my power as the God of Destruction's soul. I can create a new body for Ranma and transfer his mind to the new body.**

**_Well, whatever you do, do it quick! Ranma's conscience is deteriorating fast._**

In the world outside the Dragon Spirit, Ranko's family and friends gathered around her in concern. Just behind them was a faint outline in gray of a male body. The form started to solidify and was clothed in a dark gray outfit similar to what Ranma normally wore. He also wore a pair of silver shin guards with intricate carvings in a runic language. He had naturally steel gray hair that floated about him as he hovered in a bubble of protective healing magic. His eyes slowly opened to reveal blue gray eyes.

**_'Ranma, where are you? Don't leave me.'_**

The male's eyes locked on the small red head between everyone else as the bubble faded and his feet softly met the floor. **_"I'm right here, imouto-chan. I'm just a little different."_**

_**'Where?'**_

_**"In the back. Those two spirits did something to separate us physically. Are you okay?"**_

_**'I'm fine, now that I know you're still here, nii-san.'**_

Ranko stood up shakily and broke through the barrier created by her worried family. She saw a teenage boy dressed in a gray Chinese shirt and black tangs. Upon looking into his eyes, Ranko knew that this was her brother, her twin. She flung herself at him and held Ranma tight.

"It's okay, imouto-chan, it's okay."

Ranko then let go of him and threw a right hook at his face. Ranma was caught off guard and flew back into the wall from the force of the punch.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?"

"That was for making me think you were dead, you jackass!"

Nabiki surveyed her fiancé and took note of the differences. "What happened to you?"

The newly changed Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "I have no clue. All I remember is being in pain, darkness, and then light again. Ranko's voice is what brought me back, I think."

Nodoka pulled her son into a bone crushing hug. "It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that you are alive, my son."

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Cologne dug through the many artifacts she had brought over from the Amazon treasury. She finally found what she was looking for, a violet box that she had spent the past four hours searching through the hoards of ancient relics to find. She pogoed out of her storage closet into the main room of the restaurant where her great granddaughter was waiting and set the box down in front of the purple haired Amazon warrior. Mousse was sitting slumped over at another table.

Shampoo yawned widely. "What so important that great grandmother interrupt Shampoo's sleep?"

"Quiet, Shampoo, do not speak of your elders in such a disrespectful manner. I am sure you felt that extremely dark aura earlier tonight?" Shampoo sleepily nodded. The Amazon Matriarch placed the box on the table. "This is a very powerful artifact known as the Dragoon Spirit. The texts are far too old to be translated now, so even I do not know what powers it contains. The only readable part in the text states, 'Should the lord of darkness awaken, the servants of the God of Destruction shall shed their long slumber. The dragoons will call to each other and converge'. Only an Amazon Warrior will wield this particular Spirit."

Shampoo's eyes lit up in glee as she opened the old box and greedily grabbed the stone inside. Her eyes widened as she heard a voice speak to her.

**Humph. What's all this about? Ah, so you seek the power of the Violet Dragon of Thunder. Too bad, young lady, but this power is not for a woman-child to wield. Thunder is a very volatile element, only a male can control the will of lightning.**

Her crimson eyes narrowed in fury and she threw the stone away. It rolled to a stop by Mousse's foot. "Must be fake! No power come to Shampoo!"

Cologne hid her frustration. "Part-timer, pick up that piece of junk and throw it in the trash!"

Mousse tiredly and bent down picked up the "piece of junk." Once it was completely in his hand, the Dragoon Spirit began to glow a bright violet color.

**Aha! You will do perfectly! I am Haschel, the last bearer of the Violet Dragon spirit. I will guide you in the use of your new powers. Hmm, we'll have to do something about your poor eyesight. Ah well, when you find the White Silver Dragoon, ask her or him to heal you. Until then, I'm going back to sleep; an old man needs his rest, you know?**

Mousse blinked behind his coke bottle glasses as a silver chain appeared and attached itself to the spirit. _Well, something good had to happen to me someday._ He also relished the disbelieving looks of astonishment etched into Shampoo and Cologne's faces.

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In Awayuki Town, Mawata examined the emerald necklace her mother had bought for her as an early birthday present seeing how Natsue would be unable to be there during the youngest Awayuki's birthday. She held it by the silver chain up to a lamp and admired the way the light refracted off of it. She then had the urge to put it on and followed it. The large emerald shined a bright green light the moment it touched her skin.

**I was wondering when you would put me on. Pardon me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Albert, former king of Serdio, though I do not know what it is called now.**

"Where are you?" The green haired girl asked as she cast a quick glance about her room.

**Oh, why, I am inside the Dragon Spirit you just placed about your neck. By doing this, you accepted your destiny as the new Jade Dragoon of wind. I myself was once a bearer of this Dragon spirit.**

"I see. I'm Awayuki Mawata. It is a pleasure to meet you, Albert-sama. Am I to assume that you are here to train me?"

**My, aren't you sharp! Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.**

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Ryouga was lost in the middle of nowhere, nothing new there. That he was stranded up in the mountains and continued walking in circles for most of the day was only a minor setback for the sometimes pig.

Ryouga was about to settle into his sleeping bag for the night when he noticed that there was something nestled near his campfire. Curious, he got up to examine the glittering object. When the Lost Boy picked it up, it glowed a rich golden brown aura.

**You wake Kongol, you be new Golden Dragoon of Earth like Kongol was.**

"Wait a minute. Who are you and what the hell is a dragoon?"

**Kongol is Kongol, used to be Golden Dragoon. Dragoon Knight of Dragon. You dragoon now.**

"Uh…okay?" The voice became silent and Ryouga decided to put on the spirit that had just formed into a necklace. "Maybe I should ask the old ghoul about it when I get back to Nerima?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

SSD: That's it for this chapter. Kami-sama, that took a long time to put together. And yep, Saito's a good guy. Sorry if I misled you guys last chapter. Also, I've decided on some of the pairings, so a few of the polls will be erased.

Saito: She just can't make up her mind.

Haschel: Well, at least I got a few lines in the chapter.

Lloyd: We're supposed to be security detail, not guests.

Haschel: Sorry.

SSD: It's alright, Haschel.

Kurama: Besides, it's not like we are getting that many break-ins lately. Hm, I wonder why that is?"

Kenshin: (whistles innocently and hides sakabatou behind his back)

(everyone shares knowing looks)

SSD: (shrugs) Well, it does explain why. Anyway on to the Poll Results and Reviewers Response.

**Poll Results:**

Shampoo/Kuno(saner):

Shampoo/Go:0

Shampoo/No one:

Nodoka/Kei: 2

Nodoka/Genma:

SSD: As you can see, a majority of the poll was wiped out. Definite pairings are Ranko/Sasame, Ranma/Nabiki, Akane/Saito, Mawata/Mousse, Ukyo/Ryouga, and Kasumi/Tofu. Sorry to disappoint all of you who were hoping for a Shampoo/Mousse pairing, but I couldn't really work it in.

**Reviewers Response:**

**Unimpressed: **I have read the manga and watched the anime. I know that Akane's mallet is not a War Hammer, but I believe that the size of her mallet depends on the level of her anger. Largest mallet I've seen her wield was about two and a half feet long. Now, since this is now a Legend of Dragoon crossover, Akane needs a better weapon than a close ranged mallet, thus the war hammer. In the game, Meru used a mallet that was almost up to her shoulder. That is the weapon I am giving Akane. Plus, Meru's final addition caused 600 percentdamage, perfect for Akane as she is now the Dragoon of the Red-Eye Dragon and is a fire element.

**borg rabbit:** Here's the next chapter that you were waiting for. Thank you for the review!

**AshK:** Glad you like it so far. As for who I'm pairing Akane with, I believe I said it just above the Reviewers Response section. She's going to be with Saito.

**RubberNeck:** "Only a mere dragon?" I'll have you know that the Darkness Dragon is THE most powerful dragon—besides the divine dragon—in the entire game of Legend of Dragoon. A CG even showed the Darkness Dragon easily eliminate five to six low level Virage, and those things are rather hard to beat! Also, Herb was only PART normal dragon, as far as my knowledge goes, he has NO Elemental Dragon blood. The Elemental Dragons are the ones who make up the Dragon spirits and there is only one dragon per element.

**TitanXR:** You do realize that I was kidding about the fan club, right? Any way, I've already beaten Legend of Dragoon four times so I'm well versed with the game and the histories of the first generation dragoons. Thanks for trying to help, though.

**Taiki: **Eep! Okay, okay, here's the next chapter! LOL I'm thrilled at your enthusiasm to read my story.

**Cylon One: **Yep, Ranma and Ranko are going to have a challenge on hand. Only they aren't going to fight the Darkness Dragon alone. And yeah, even though they are split now, they still have a mental bond. And yes, I am aware of the fact that fraternal twins normally don't have a strong psychic bond, but you have to understand that Ranma and Ranko have been stuck in each other's body since they were born. It's only logical that they share a strong bond.

**Jerry Unipeg: **Contrary to what you may believe, I have other plans for the Darkness Dragon. Hell, I am NOT just going to kill off the second strongest dragon in existence!

**Mega Shadow: **You really aren't that much of a talker, are you? Oh well, I appreciate the reviews all the same.

**goku90504: **I'm aware my author class system is a bit screwy; I wasn't all there when I thought it up in the first place. Also, Saito has been training most of his life in the secrets of the Darkness Dragon, it is very likely that he could summon a battle aura and do Ki attacks. Next, Hiei's move is Fist of MORTAL Flame; I did my research after I got your review and discovered that little fact. Also, Legend of Dragoon was two years in the making before Yu Yu Hakusho came to America. So what if LoD was released a few months after, it was still in the making long before YYH. Also, if you would recall Ranma comes to Akane's defense even though they just met, Ranma saw it as his duty to protect her because she was his fiancé. Nabiki is Ranma's fiancé now so the same goes for her, Ranma will do anything to protect her especially since she is a noncombatant. Also, Ranma is always nervous when it comes to girls.

**Chi Vayne:** I am SO sorry that I forgot to put you in last chapter's Reviewers Response! I swear I didn't mean to forget! But, yeah, I couldn't kill off Ranma because he is vital to the story.

SSD: (Yawn) That's all for this. I hope to see some reviews from you all, but it is past midnight here. Oyasuminasai, minna-san. Zzzzzz.


	8. The Gifted WeaponsTeaser

1SSD: Konnichiwa, minna-san! It's great to write for you guys again. Welcome to chapter 7 of "Shock Wave".

Ranma: Hey, SSD, when are you going to tell them about my new upgrade?

SSD: The chapter opens up with you, so they should find out right after I start the chapter.

Ranma: Oh, okay. One last question.

SSD: Shoot.

Ranma: Why did you give me gray hair? I'M TOO YOUNG!!

Haschel: What's wrong with gray hair? I have gray hair and am as flexible as a martial artist half my age!

Lloyd: You are over sixty human years. You are old in their eyes and are allowed to posses gray hair.

Kenshin: Oro? Is your hair also not grey, Lloyd-san?

Lloyd: . ╬ My hair is PLATINUM not GRAY!!

Kenshin: (turns to Kurama) Is Yoko's hair gray? He is very old, that he is.

Kurama: Yoko's hair is NOT gray. It is silver.

Ranma: See, why couldn't you give me platinum or silver hair?

SSD: Easy, Sasame's hair is silver and Ukyo's hair is now a platinum-ish blue. Also, because of your element, your features are supposed to reflect that in some way.

Ranma: Oh. Say, how's your other fic coming along? You know, the Inuyasha crossover?

SSD: . I haven't finished the chapter yet.

Mannen: What about "Warming Ice"? When are you gonna update that?

SSD: (fidgets) I don't know, I have the second chapter up.

Saito: And WHY do I have to be paired with the violent maniac?

Akane: (appears out of no where and bashes him with her small mallet) Who're you calling a violent maniac?

Saito: (weakly) No one, 'Kane.

Akane: Good. Now, let's leave the nice authoress to writing her story. (drags Saito away with her)

(everyone sweat drops)

Lloyd: Glad that isn't me.

Ranma: At least I'm not the one being malleted now.

Kenshin: Kaoru-dono is more ladylike when she hits me.

Kurama: That was one scary girl. Perhaps she has demon blood.

SSD: Doubtful because there's no such thing as demons—aside from Happosai's summons—in this story. Anyway, roll disclaimer and on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: SilverSerpentDragon does NOT own Ranma ½, Pretear, or Legend of Dragoon. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Junichi Satou, and Sony.

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Chapter 7: The Gifted Weapons and My Metal Obsessed Twin!

Ranma could not sleep, not after his brush with death. No, Ranma's very existence was threatened only a few hours ago. The once aquatransexual raised his left palm and several rings of metal appeared around it. Those spirits told him that this was an ability he had been born with and was just now manifesting. The rings circled his arm as he toyed with the metal and altered the gravity fields around them. He further manipulated the metal so that the rings around his arm melded together to form a bracer. He formed a similar bracer on the other arm. A gasp from the doorway alerted the martial artist to another's presence.

"Ranma? Since when can you use Leafe?" Ranko asked.

Ranma's blue gray eyes met Ranko's. "Since we were born, Ranko, I've had the potential. Those spirits awakened the ability in me when they separated us. I suppose it's fitting that a Pretear has a brother who is a Knight. It's rather fun being able to manipulate metal and influence gravity to a certain extent."

Ranko walked into the room and sat on the floor beside Ranma's bed roll. "How much can you influence gravity? What's the extent of your powers?"

A mischievous smirk crossed the gray haired teen's face as he raised his left arm. Ranko felt an uneasy feeling settle in her stomach and her balance felt awkward. She looked at Ranma oddly and noticed that his face was lower than before. She looked down and became aware of the fact that she was floating.

"Eek! Ranma, put me down!"

Ranma laughed whole heartedly and lowered his twin back to solid ground. He was rewarded with a heavy smack to the head.

"Itai! Do you get off on smacking me every chance you get or something?" The gray-haired teenager glared at Ranko.

"No, only when you do something stupid or extremely worrisome. That felt really weird though."

"What do you mean?"

"I could feel my center of gravity shifting and it was really, disconcerting."

"Look who's trying to act smart," Ranma teased lightly as they both settled on the ground.

Ranko huffed. "It's not that I'm trying to act smart, I just don't like being seen as an idiot. So, back to the matter at hand. I guess this makes you a Leafe Knight now. Ooh! Dibs on pretting with you next time!" the newest pretear proclaimed with a grin.

"What! No way! I still remember how weird it felt when we pretted with your precious Sasame. I am not going through that again!" The self-declared-greatest-martial-artist-of-his-generation protested profusely.

"Oh, c'mon, Ranma, pleeeeeeeease?"

_Uh oh, please not that. Anything but that look! _Ranma prayed, but either the gods were ignoring him or laughing their asses off, he met the dreaded puppy dog eyes that he himself had perfected in that form to scam vendors. He sighed heavily before giving his acquiescence. "Fine, but just this once."

"I don't see how pretting with you would be any different than what we've lived through our entire lives. It'll be just like when we were still occupying the same space! And I don't mean in the womb."

"Ranko," Ranma started hesitatingly, "You're forgetting that we've only seperated hours ago. Until a couple days ago, you never really existed."

The redhead seemed to just freeze in her enthusiasm, her bangs shadowing her eyes. "I-I know, but my memories are just like yours, I remember being there, I remember going through the N-neko-ken training. I remember oyaji taking me to the hot springs and giving me my curse. It's almost like, time itself is unraveling to make room for me. But that makes no sense, right? After all, why would time care about me, a magical mishap?"

Ranma winced at her self-depreciating tone, ashamed of himself that he had dredged up this depression that his sister had probably been feeling for the past few hours. "Sorry, imouto-chan, I didn't mean to sound that way."

"No, you're perfectly in the right. I could've killed you if it wasn't for Shana. Besides which, that brings up another topic of debate. What are we going to do about the Darkness Dragon? If what Shana and Miranda have told me is true, it's going to take a lot more than me and Akane to bring it down."

"If I remember right, Tendo-san said that dragoons are the rightful rulers of dragon-kind. That makes me curious because nothing should have to be treated as inferior. What gives dragoons the right to do so?"

_**Is the boy dense? Dragons are extremely powerful. If they were left to themselves, humans would be very close to extinction. It takes a lot to hurt a dragon through normal means. Dragons are weak to Dragoon magic because it is dragon magic usable to humans. Of course**_–

**Miranda, you're babbling. And I think you just confused our charge even more than she already was. **Shana interrupted the more hair-trigger tempered spirit.

Miranda did the spiritual equivalent of an eye twitch. _**I do not babble, Shana, I just...just...**_

Ranko giggled slightly. _"Prattle?"_

The blonde dragoon spirit huffed. _**If I had a physical body, I would so smack you right now. But let's face it, the Darkness Dragon is the strongest elemental dragon in existence, next to the Divine Dragon. **_

**Rose said that it has an impenetrable armor and that it's only weakness is it's core. **

"_Then, it shouldn't be too hard right? We know it's weakness, so we just need to exploit it. Oh, can you somehow relay our conversation to Ranma?"_

_**Already being done, brat. You hear us, right, Ranma?**_

"Loud and clear...Miranda, right?"

_**That's my name. Now, it may sound easy enough, but the Darkness Dragon is also much faster than us dragoons. You're going to have to train a lot and develop some specialized combat moves, you, too, Ranma.**_

"We already have our moves. We're martial artists."

**What Miranda means is that our old party members all had a specialized move set. Dart had 7 combos that would deal from 250 percent more damage than normal to 450 percent.**

_**Meru had the most devastating move, though. If she was physically stonger, her 600 percent attack would have torn through Virage like paper.**_

"_We have Akane now, though. Maybe we could somehow have her learn Meru's move set?"_

**Exactly what I was thinking. We will have to train her in how to use a hammer, though.**

"No need for that. The tomboy already knows how to use a war hammer."

"_I think I've seen the one she nailed us with still in her room. I wonder why it didn't vanish like all her other mallets?"_

**It might be father's gift to her. She needs a weapon in order to properly fight the Virage that will come. **

"Wait a minute. Father?"

_**Yeah, Zieg is her father in law. Shana married Dart after the second Dragon Campaign. That reminds me, Shana, don't you have something for Ranko?**_

**Oh! I almost forgot. Ranko, hold out your arms palm up.**

"_Okay, why?" _Ranko did as she was asked. A shimmering white light spread across the space between her palms and about six inches past them.The light solidified into a simple white wood quarterstaff.

_**We know that you most likely would never use a bow, so we decided to give you this. This is why you need to develop a move set.**_

"_Thanks, Miranda, Shana. I'll do my best."_

"Hey, Ranko, don't we have school tomorrow?"

"Crap! _Thanks for the gift you two, but I have to sleep._"

_**We understand. Night, kido.**_

**Good night, Ranko, Ranma.**

"Hey, Ranma, I just thought of something."

"What?"

"What are we going to do when everyone finds out we aren't cursed anymore?"

"..."

"Ranma?"

"Go to sleep." Ranma practically threw himself on his futon and rolled onto his side.

Ranko growled in annoyance, but followed his example after setting her new weapon aside.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ranma left for school early with Nabiki, Akane and Ranko tagging along behind them. The pigtailed martial was edgy about officially meeting the Leafe Knights and was curious about if they would accept him among they're ranks. He felt his danger sense tingle and a chill swept down his spine. Ranko hunched over and clutched her stomach at the same time. The twins shared a glance and raced off towards where they felt the demon larva. Akane and Nabiki looked at each other, confusion in both their eyes, before taking off after them.

"You promised, Ranma."

"Fine, fine, but I don't know how to get into that stupid uniform the others wear!"

"Just fold your Leafe around you."

Ranma did as instructed, though it was difficult being on the run he managed. Soon, he was garbed in a grey, black, and light blue version of Sasame's knight outfit. The cape fluttered behind him as he ran. Ranma held out his hand to Ranko. She grabbed it and the Pretear transformation light show began.

When she emerged,

The new Pretear of Metal took off running, the demon larva was just ahead. The redhead looked up. And up. And up. And...

"K'so! That thing is huge!" The demon larva was a scaly green with purple tentacles. Frankly, it looked like a rip-off of Perfect Chaos from Sonic Adventure, only not so watery. "Hey, Ugly! Free Leafe Banquet over here!" The demon larva turned in her direction and launched a blast of stolen Leafe at her.

Ranko jumped out of the way and stretched her senses to find the core. The servant of Fenril hurled its tentacles at her in futile attempts to pierce her. Ranko located the "eye" and a giant scythe formed in her hands. She brought it down and the blade slashed straight through the "eye".

"Metallic Sycthe!" With a burst of pure Leafe, the demon larva shattered just as the other Leafe Knights plus Himeno and the Tendo girls arrived on scene.

"Ranko! Are you alright? Where's the demon larva?" Sasame asked with a worried expression.

"No worries, Sasame, the deamon larva's toast!" Ranko assured her friends and dispersed the scythe.

"Wait a minute, how are you in Pretear form? I've never seen that element before." Hayate interrogated.

Ranko and Ranma cancelled the pret and separated. The pigtailed neo-Knight nervously scratched the back of his head. "Saotome Ranma, sorry about this."

"You're her brother?" Go asked, for once not being a bird brain.

"Yup, and he's the Knight of Metal! We found out last night." Ranko supplied extra information.

"Chottomatte! What the hell is going on here!" Nabiki snapped in irritation of not being in th know.


End file.
